This piece was co-written by Naomi Corlette, Hans Elasri, Brooke Jones, Caleb Levine, Jeslyn Liu, Zoe Price, Aidan Scully, Kira Tian, and Stephanie Wang.
The upcoming primary elections in Massachusetts, which will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 6, have already caused significant conflict. Several state-wide positions have been left up for grabs by their previous officers for the first time in years, creating a rush to secure the seats from both sides. This includes the position of governor, following Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision not to run for re-election after serving two terms and gaining widespread support.
Many Republican primary races are split between a more centrist candidate, which is standard for Massachusetts’ GOP officials, and a candidate who subscribes to further right, Trumpist ideals. On the Democratic side, many candidates are vying to win the support of progressive voters, a large portion of the state’s voter base.
The outcome of this election will illuminate where Massachusetts voters stand within their parties. Which issues are most important to Democrats when choosing between progressive candidates? Will the GOP’s shift to the right in recent years create a path for more right-wing candidates to overtake centrist candidates, who have had more popularity in the state previously? The primary will also have a significant effect on the general election in November, where voters will be faced with conflicting visions for the future of the state.
Governor (R): Diehl vs. Doughty
In early December 2021, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. Baker, the commonwealth’s two-term governor, held an enigmatic place in Massachusetts politics as a popular Republican governor in one of the country’s most Democratic states. His announcement led to a scramble to replace him among both Republicans and Democrats, with two Republican candidates emerging from the MassGOP convention to join the ballot this September: Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty.
Geoff Diehl’s traditional conservative platform and establishment background make him the conventional Republican gubernatorial candidate for Massachusetts. Diehl, originally from Pennsylvania, represented Abington, East Bridgewater, and Whitman in the State House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and has pushed for traditionally conservative policies. His most notable initiative was a ballot question to fight a gas tax linked with inflation, an initiative Diehl won despite being outspent 31 to 1 by special interest groups.
Chris Doughty, a moderate Republican who openly voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, represents the outsider candidate who hopes to bring more “common sense” policy. Doughty expanded Capstan Industries, a metal manufacturing firm, and received the 2016 gold medal award for job growth and economic expansion by the Massachusetts Economic Council. Doughty hopes to bring his business acumen to the governor’s mansion.
Diehl’s campaign website features broad policy suggestions like committing to renewable energy, supporting small businesses, creating jobs, and fighting crime. His policies lack specificity but generally advocate for lower taxes and high government spending. Diehl has pushed for Massachusetts to remove laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. These positions alone parallel that of moderate governor Charlie Baker, but Diehl’s rhetoric carries more of a Trump-esque tambre.
Doughty’s campaign website provides much more specific policies than his opponent, such as creating a gas tax holiday, creating hydroelectric power, incentivizing the creation of affordable housing, providing more job training, and increasing the size of the police force. He has also called for strenuous welfare regulation that would investigate the immigration status of welfare recipients, a position that could alienate him from left-leaning moderates.
President Donald Trump and the Massachusetts GOP convention have both endorsed Diehl, making Diehl the clear pick from the establishment. Doughty, however, has raised over double Diehl in fundraising, and critics assert that Trump’s endorsement alienates Diehl, who needs to appeal to moderates in Massachusetts, a state where Trump won less than a third of votes cast in 2020. Diehl’s strategy seems geared toward winning the primary rather than the general election, a sharp contrast from his predecessor Charlie Baker who ran as a moderate. The Trump era has pushed the GOP towards the right, even in the blue states with Republican governors, and it is unclear if this strategy will be able to retain the governorship for the party.
In their televised debate, the candidates sparred over their ability to win a general election against Democratic nominee Maura Healey. Doughty challenged Diehl’s conservative policies, stating that Diehl was “running a campaign that’s targeted to Alabama voters” and positioned himself as a more popular moderate candidate like current Governor Charlie Baker. Diehl challenged Doughty’s previous support of Hillary Clinton and asserted that “a vote for Chris Doughty is going to be a vote for the next Democrat.” Throughout the debate, Doughty asserted that Diehl was too conservative for Massachusetts, while Diehl challenged Doughty as too liberal.
In the limited polling data available, Diehl has polled much higher than Doughty. A June poll from UMass Amherst found Diehl at 55% and Doughty at 18%, and an Emerson College May poll found Diehl at 37% and Doughty at 9%. Diehl’s lead follows years of political advocacy and campaigns in Massachusetts which have built up his name recognition among state voters.
These polls of likely voters occurred before the debates between the two candidates, and it is unclear if the debates significantly shifted the tides between the two candidates. However, Doughty could claim the large portion of undecided voters in both polls. More importantly, Doughty could bridge the gap between moderates who voted for Governor Charlie Baker and conservatives in Massachusetts in the general election. But before Doughty could take on the general, he would have to convince establishment Republicans to support his campaign in the primary.
Governor (D): Healey
Initially, there were three promising Democratic candidates: Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts; Sonia Chang-Díaz, a state senator; and Danielle Allen, a professor at Harvard University. Allen dropped out of the race in February 2022, lamenting the difficulty for non-traditional candidates like herself to enter the political pipeline. Allen was certainly non-traditional — she had never held elected office before, and she was the first Black woman to run for statewide office in Massachusetts.
Allen’s departure from the race left Sonia Chang-Díaz and Maura Healey, whom Allen endorsed four months later, as the two candidates vying for the nomination. Four months later, Allen would endorse Healey for the nomination. Chang-Díaz pitched herself as a more progressive alternative to Healey, although Healey denied any type of moderate label. She pitched herself as more of an independent-minded candidate, hoping that her message of “increased urgency” with policies like establishing a carbon-free electric grid by 2030 and making universal affordable preschool and debt-free college available to all families would appeal to Democratic voters over Healey’s more establishment progressivism. However, Healey continued to lead in polls, prompting Chang-Díaz to drop out of the race in late June 2022.
To date, Healey is unopposed for the Democratic nomination, making her the favored candidate in the general election in November. Healey began her career in Massachusetts politics as the chief of the Civil Rights Division under former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. In this role, Healey was well-known for spearheading the state’s successful challenge against the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages through federal programs and benefits.
As attorney general, Healey often sparred with the Trump Administration, which gave her a reputation as one of the most anti-Trump attorney generals in the country. She challenged many Trump-era policies like Trump’s travel ban and his effort to rescind DACA, and sued the head of the Environmental Protection Agency nine times for rolling back environmental regulations. She has also challenged many high-profile corporations like OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma, the National Rifle Association, Juul, Uber, Lyft, Google, and Facebook.
However, Healey has drawn the ire of some on her left flank over her record on police reform. She was pressed by progressive activists over her support for no-knock warrants and facial recognition technology, tactics decried by some on the left as racist and dangerous policing practices. Healey clarified that she supports improving police accountability in the criminal justice system, but also supports limited use of the aforementioned measures to stop crime.
Healey touts a progressive campaign platform for governor. Her central campaign issues include child tax credit reform, criminal justice reform, public education, affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, healthcare, and reproductive freedom. Some notable components of her platform include reforming the existing child tax credit so that families receive more than double the value of the existing tax credits being offered and removing the current two-dependent cap. Healey’s campaign also emphasizes tackling climate change by reinvigorating the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, investing federal climate funds into overburdened communities, and increasing funding for clean buildings and clean transportation. Healey has also vowed to protect reproductive rights by shielding providers and patients from civil and criminal liability for performing and receiving reproductive or gender-affirming care, expanding abortion and birth control access, and mandating health insurers cover reproductive and gender affirming care.
Even though Healey has long been the assumed Democratic nominee, her election would be historic, becoming the state’s (and the country’s) first openly lesbian governor, and the first woman to be elected to the corner office in Massachusetts.
Lieutenant Governor (R): Allen vs. Campanale
According to the Massachusetts State Constitution, the lieutenant governor has only two official duties: to serve as a member of the governor’s council, and to assume the governor’s duties in the case of their absence, death, or resignation.
Because the state law provides only a handful of sentences specifically detailing the job, the lieutenant governor’s position may appear insignificant. However, the lack of official duties effectively renders the office quite powerful, as the lieutenant governor possesses the freedom to take the lead on various issues, adapting and responding quickly to the state’s shifting needs.
Governors often tap lieutenant governors to work on specific high-profile projects, and lieutenant governors can create and focus on their own agendas. Furthermore, becoming lieutenant governor serves as an extremely effective launching pad to becoming governor: out of 72 Massachusetts lieutenant governors, a third went on to become governor of the state. For these reasons, the lieutenant governor serves an important role in the state government, and the race for this position merits particular attention.
This year, current Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who has served in the position since 2015, has decided not to run for re-election, and several candidates have rushed to throw their hat in the ring to take over the office. Of the five remaining candidates, two identify as Republicans: Kate Campanale and Leah Cole Allen. Both women are former state representatives partnered with informal running mates, and just like their running mates, they are running from extremely opposite ends of the conservative spectrum.
Campanale, unofficial running mate of Chris Doughty, represented the 17th Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019, when she left the political scene after running unsuccessfully for Worcester County register of deeds. After her loss, she taught in the Spencer East Brookfield District while simultaneously serving as deputy director of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development in the Baker administration.
Like her running mate, Campanale’s views can be characterized as moderate. She supports the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson but has expressed that she does not want to change or limit abortion access in the state, as the people of Massachusetts have “spoken loud and clear” on the matter. Campanale also supports the Supreme Court’s decision to roll back restrictions on concealed weapons, claiming it “creates uniformity,” but wants to add mental health resources in schools in the hopes of preventing gun violence. She opposes the loss of jobs over vaccination status, as well as vaccine mandates at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, though she supports the mandates imposed by the local government at the beginning of the crisis.
On the opposite, more extreme end of the conservative spectrum sits Leah Cole Allen, unofficial running mate of Geoff Diehl. Allen represented the 12th Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015, when she resigned her seat in the legislature to pursue nursing. She has now decided to get re-engaged in politics because she is currently “facing the prospect” of being fired from a hospital after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine as mandated by her employer.
Allen has asserted her “commitment to freedom,” as she is against legal abortion and a staunch opponent of gun control measures. She opposes mask mandates in schools and for employees, believing that mask requirements imposed during the pandemic have “eroded individual liberty.” She also believes that “schools shouldn’t be teaching a curriculum based on a political agenda” and wants to increase parental involvement in the education process to ensure “parents are the controlling voice in the future of their kids.”
In May, Allen, alongside running mate Diehl, each secured their party’s endorsement at the GOP convention. Despite running independently, the pair are currently leading their opponents, Campanale and Doughty, by a significant margin, although in both media coverage and apparent support, it appears that the Democratic candidates are dominating the field.
Lieutenant Governor (D): Driscoll vs. Gouveia vs. Lesser
This year, the Lieutenant Governor race began with six Democratic candidates, up four candidates from the previous election in 2018. As the Democratic primary approaches, we are left with three front-runners who will appear on the ballot in September.
State Representative Tami Gouveia started her bid for lieutenant governor on the basis of expanding access to housing and healthcare by establishing Medicare for All in the Commonwealth, increasing public investments in education, and expanding the social safety net with jobs that promote a clean energy transition. Gouveia began her political career as an activist, spearheading many health and wellness efforts related to substance abuse prevention. Many of her endeavors, both as an activist and a politician, reflect her passion for public health, in which she holds a doctorate degree.
Spurred by the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, Gouveia went on to lead the Massachusetts chapter of the Women’s March on Washington in 2017, organizing over 10,000 people. Then, in 2018, Gouveia won a seat in the Massachusetts legislature, where she has defended abortion access, advocated for comprehensive criminal justice reform, filed legislation for economic relief for working families during the pandemic, and secured funding to combat the opioid crises among other things. Gouveia argues that the obstacles she has faced as a single mother allow her to better address the challenges of everyday citizens.
Kim Driscoll, Mayor of Salem, Mass. since 2006, leads her opponents in terms of support, winning the Democratic Party’s endorsement with a 41 percent vote at the Massachusetts Democratic Party convention in June. She then went on to receive support from Planned Parenthood as well as a super PAC of many prolific donors. This super PAC, however, has received criticism for including many millionaires with extensive ties to GOP circles, including those who have previously donated to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Massachusetts Republican Party.
That being said, Driscoll’s endeavors as mayor can be credited for her widespread support. Her efforts have included one of the first non-discrimination ordinances in Massachusetts, the launch of an “Age-Friendly Business” certification program, major investments in veterans’ benefits and local transportation, professionalizing municipal services, closing multi-million dollar budget shortfalls, strengthening the public school system, and other reforms that have transformed Salem from a city with record deficits to a top 100 “place to live” according to 2021 Livability reports. Driscoll believes that her experience at the municipal level sets her apart from her opponents and emphasizes the importance of the nonpartisan, “get stuff done” mentality she has assumed. Her focus this election cycle is on affordable housing, support for working families, addressing the climate crisis, and combating rising living costs.
Rounding out the ballot is fundraising front-runner, Eric Lesser. Having worked in the Obama White House before becoming a state senator, Lesser’s donors have not been shy to show their support for the Longmeadow native, amassing a campaign fund more than three times the size of his closest opponent’s. During his time in Washington, D.C., Lesser had a hand in new laws combating substance abuse and efforts to invest in high-speed rail, which he hopes to expand into Boston. Planning to address rising living costs and the resulting inequalities, the father of three looks to use his experience leading negotiations on stimulus and housing packages to “fix our broken transportation system, build more housing, create better jobs, protect our environment, and make our state more affordable and equitable.”
Having worked with Maura Healey before, Lesser believes his legislative record and experience to be the balance needed in the gubernatorial front-runner’s campaign and identifies his role as one that would enable and empower her next steps. These steps, Lesser believes, include putting billions in federal aid to work to rebuild transportation infrastructure, creating more affordable housing, and spurring the economic recovery from the pandemic.
A recent poll by UMass Amherst and WCVB surveying the preferences of Democratic primary voters indicates that 70% of respondents don’t yet know who they would support in the race. In down-ballot races where choosing one candidate may not seem so different from choosing another, primary voters will likely base their selections on the individual issues most important to them and how well they believe their candidate will do come general elections in November.
Secretary of the Commonwealth (D): Galvin vs. Sullivan
The secretary of the commonwealth, also known as the secretary of state, is among the most powerful members of the Massachusetts state government. The office carries a diverse array of responsibilities including the upkeep and distribution of public records, management of the state’s historical commission, operation of the corporations and securities divisions, conduction of the decennial census, and, perhaps most importantly, administration of state elections.
The position has garnered heightened attention in recent years as secretaries of state across the country hold enormous influence over voting procedures, particularly in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby v. Holder. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, for example, made national headlines when he opposed Donald Trump’s request to “find 11,780 votes” in his state during the 2020 presidential election.
Incumbent Democrat William F. Galvin has held the seat for more than a quarter-century, first elected in 1994. His habits of working late into the night and striking backroom deals earned him the nickname “The Prince of Darkness.” A staple of Massachusetts politics, his career in state governance dates back to 1972, when he served as aide to the Governor’s Council, and later as a state representative on the Massachusetts General Court. At 71, Galvin’s credibility — among government officials and ordinary citizens alike — rests squarely on his long record of civil service. He is remembered fondly for overseeing the 2020 elections in Massachusetts by implementing a no-excuse vote-by-mail system, which proved successful in promoting voter turnout amidst a pandemic.
Though his opponent in the upcoming primary, Tanisha Sullivan, has never held public office, she too has an extensive track record of advocacy on behalf of Bay Staters. After practicing law at a number of firms and life sciences companies, she pivoted away from the private sector and served as the Chief Equity Officer for the Boston Public Schools and later as president of the Boston chapter of the NAACP. If elected, she plans to expand access to voting and public records, promote equitable civic engagement, and support small businesses.
Sullivan has garnered support from five of the thirteen Boston City Councilors, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, and Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. She was also endorsed by her party, receiving support from a whopping 62.4% of delegates to the Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention.
This is not unprecedented, however. In 2018, Josh Zakim challenged Galvin with a platform quite similar to Sullivan’s and, like Sullivan, received the Democratic Party convention’s endorsement. Nevertheless, Galvin went on to trounce Zakim more than two-to-one in the primary; the incumbent is no stranger to a comeback. Though Zakim’s poor showing may seem promising for Galvin in this cycle, Sullivan’s margin of victory at the convention was much larger than Zakim’s, and she has leveraged her outsider status to her advantage, making this election anything but a rehash of the 2018 contest.
While Sullivan and Galvin certainly have their own distinct agendas and priorities, they also differ significantly in their approaches to the race and the optics of their candidacy. Galvin has done minimal campaigning while Sullivan holds regular rallies and interviews. She is working to establish herself as a formidable player in Massachusetts state politics. For Galvin, it would appear, that work was done about thirty years ago.
Historical trends suggest that the winner of the upcoming primary will fare well in November, so the September election will play a consequential role in determining who gets sworn in this January. William Galvin is the third longest-serving Secretary of State in the country, and by the conclusion of his present term, no one will have held the Massachusetts position for longer than he. His reputation precedes him as a dependable, middle-of-the-road Democrat and his lead in the polls is significant. Inherent in Tanisha Sullivan’s candidacy, however, is a promise to shake things up — to disrupt Galvin’s historic streak, and to infuse the office of the Massachusetts secretary of the commonwealth with new vitality and diversity.
Attorney General (D): Campbell vs. Liss-Riordan vs. Palfrey
This year’s Democratic Primary for Massachusetts Attorney General has shaped up to be one of the state’s most competitive and compelling primaries in years. After current Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that she would not seek re-election for the office due to her gubernatorial bid, Democrats across the state jumped at the opportunity to run for the open seat.
The office of the Attorney General has a storied history in Massachusetts politics. Often affectionately termed “the people’s attorney” and rooted in a tradition of muckraking, the Massachusetts Attorney General is expected to take on big business on behalf of working-class families and every-day Massachusettsans.
That legacy of the office certainly plays a role in campaign strategy, as this year’s three contenders undoubtedly recognize. Andrea Campbell, Shannon Liss-Riordan, and Quentin Palfrey are the three Democratic candidates for Massachusetts Attorney General, and they have all led strategic campaigns in their respective efforts to carve out their niche of the Democratic base.
Andrea Campbell has emerged as the frontrunner of the race. The 40-year-old Democrat is not new to Massachusetts politics, having served as Boston City Council President and just recently earning over 21,000 votes to finish third in Boston’s 2021 mayoral election. Campbell is running on a platform of social justice and equity, and she has leaned into her compelling life story as a way to engage and energize her voting base.
Campbell’s strategy seems to be working, as she has far outraised Liss-Riordan and Palfrey. However, Campbell has spurred much criticism due to her refusal to sign the People’s Pledge, an agreement popularized by Sen. Elizabeth Warren to reject any and all corporate campaign donations.
While both Liss-Riordan and Palfrey signed the agreement, Campbell refused, raising eyebrows as to her potential entanglement with Better Boston, a super PAC that spent $1.6 million on her mayoral campaign. While Better Boston has not yet spent any money on Campbell’s current campaign, it would be unprecedented and arguably a conflict of interest for a super PAC to invest in an Attorney General election: It’s hard to hold corporations and super PACs accountable if they are your biggest donors.
Despite her campaign’s financial controversy, Campbell has managed to secure endorsements from organizations like Emily’s List and Planned Parenthood, as well as from notable Massachusetts elected officials like Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Furthermore, if elected, Campbell would be the first Black woman to win statewide office in Massachusetts.
Running not too far behind Campbell is Shannon Liss-Riordan, a labor lawyer who is known for her class-action suits against companies like Starbucks, FedEx, and Uber. Liss-Riordan contends that she is the best candidate to take on big business as Attorney General because she has already been doing it for years.
One advantage that Liss-Riordan has is her wallet: she is expected to largely self-finance her campaign, as she did in her unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 2020, when she loaned herself $3 million.
But perhaps Liss-Riordan’s greatest advantage is the unwavering support of state and local labor unions and organizations. She has been endorsed by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Workers Association, the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, and more. If elected, more than anything, Liss-Riordan strives to level the playing field for working-class people in Massachusetts.
The final candidate in this year’s Democratic primary for Massachusetts Attorney General is Quentin Palfrey, a voting rights attorney and official in both the Obama and Biden administrations. Palfrey has branded himself as the true progressive of the race, supporting policies such as Medicare for All and calling to entirely banish gun manufacturers from the state, perhaps in a gamble that Massachusetts Democrats are increasingly leaning further left.
Interestingly enough, Palfrey is the endorsed candidate of the state Democratic party, having just edged out Campbell on the second ballot at the nominating convention when the majority of the Liss-Riordan delegates defected to Palfrey after Liss-Riordan was eliminated in the counting. Palfrey has also received endorsements from organizations like Progressive Mass and the Massachusetts Sierra Club.
With three highly qualified candidates and a scattered array of endorsements, Sept. 6’s Democratic primary for Attorney General is sure to be an interesting one. Massachusetts Democrats will be faced with a choice that will not only determine the legal future of Massachusetts but also spell lessons for Democrats on a national stage.
Come September, Massachusetts Democrats may overlook the campaign finance controversy and support Andrea Campbell, the experienced candidate with the most reliable name recognition. They may go for the self-financed underdog, Liss-Riordan, who has the support of labor and a track record of taking on big business. Or they may heed the state party’s endorsement of Palfrey, the candidate who champions the most progressive policies and promises to push the Democratic party further left. In a tight three-way race that shows no signs of slowing down, only time will tell.
State Auditor (D): Dempsey vs. DiZoglio
With the announcement of current Auditor Suzanne Bump’s departure, the seat for Massachusetts State Auditor was opened. The state auditor, oftentimes referred to as the “chief accountability officer,” is tasked with ensuring transparency, efficiency, and fairness in the state government. With a goal of improving the government’s performance, they serve as a watchdog who performs financial and technical audits and investigations to identify fraud, corruption, and waste in state agencies and programs.
Bump, who has been in office since 2010, had conducted audits on major offices like the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board and was recognized nationally for her office’s implementation of IT aduit tracking cybersecurity. With this well-established precedent, the defining question of the race will be over which candidate can best live up to Bump’s legacy. Past experiences of the two Democratic candidates show their qualifications for the role, with Chris Dempsey’s revealing his commitment to defending the public with creative solutions, and Diana DiZoglio’s demonstrating that she is unafraid to speak up against the powerful.
A Brookline native, Dempsey is known for co-founding and leading the grassroots No Boston Olympics campaign, where he fought against local power-brokers and for which he was named Bostonian of the Year by The Boston Globe. Dempsey recently served as the Director of Transportation for Massachusetts, created the MassDOT Open Data Program, and led the fight for public transit reform and investment.
DiZoglio, of Methuen, has been a state senator in the First Essex District since 2018 and had previously served as a state representative for three terms. After being elected to the House, DiZoglio broke a nondisclosure agreement she signed, accussing representatives of using NDAs to keep quiet victims of authorities’ misbehaviors, such as sexual harrassement. As a senator, DiZoglio has fought to ban taxpayer-funded NDAs, called out Baker’s office for “wasting taxpayer dollars” on consulting firms, and sponsored bills focusing on economic relief, public school system reform, and other progressive policy items.
In the candidates’ campaigns, Dempsey emphasizes creating “cutting edge” plans that protect public interest while DiZoglio focuses on social justice issues and “challenging the status quo.” Dempsey’s campaign focuses on creating innovative plans in three policy areas. First, in responding to the climate crisis, Dempsey hopes to make Massachusetts the first state to include carbon accounting in its audits, as well as creating an environmental justice commission with representatives from across the state. Dempsey would oversee state spending of the billions of dollars from federal stimulus fundings like the American Rescue Plan Act, measuring their equitable impact to optimize benefits to the public. Finally, Dempsey would comprehensively review the Massachusetts State Police, examining 15 areas including payroll administration and evidence-management protocols to promote reform and transparency.
DiZoglio’s campaign focuses on helping the underrepresented and examining the state’s centralized power. Her Social Justice and Equity Plan is designed to identify structural inequality and ensure that DE&I goals are met. Key points of this plan include auditing state spending and programs designed to help minority-owned businesses, reviewing state government contracts and commissions related to equity and education, and reporting on pay equity, cultural accessibility, and implicit bias training from the Massachusetts Police Training Commission. Regarding climate, she will audit state climate agencies and funds, and verify equitable access in Mass Save programing. DiZoglio would also continue her fight against NDAs and audit financial legacies of Baker’s administration.
So far, Dempsey has narrowly won his party’s endorsement at the Democratic State Convention by a margin of 53-47. Auditor Bump herself also endorsed Dempsey, calling him a “true progressive” who will make “every audit [represent] a tool to improve state government.” DiZoglio has secured endorsements from many labor unions and community organizations like UNITE HERE Local 26, the largest hospitality union in MA, and EMILY’s List, which attested that DiZoglio will “be a champion for the most vulnerable.” Her other endorsers include Congresswoman Lori Trahan and other progressive leaders like Senators Adam Gomez and Lydia Edwards, who describe DiZoglio as a “battle-tested people’s auditor.” With the two candidates making appeals to similar voter bases, the hotly contested race has come down to a battle of individuals and ideas.
6 September 2022
In a state as dominated by incumbents as Massachusetts, the simultaneous openings of four statewide positions was all but guaranteed to cause political turmoil. With so many positions in open contention, various factions of both major parties have spotted their opportunity to set a new precedent in state politics. And in 2022, a new precedent is primed to emerge, making this election cycle all the more consequential, with the future of both the state government and both parties in the balance.
For the Republicans, these two primaries will either solidify or stave off the national conservative turn of the MassGOP. A Diehl-Allen ticket in the general election would mark yet another victory for a Trump-endorsed candidate and would cement the nationalist faction of the party as the dominant wing. A Doughty-Campanale ticket would suggest that the more moderate wing of the party still wields significant power. Whether either wing will carry enough support to the general election remains to be seen in a post-Baker Massachusetts.
The Democrats’ fissures are far less clean, with candidates seemingly all vying for the label as the most progressive candidate in the race. With two three-candidate races, it is increasingly likely that two members of the Democrats’ slate will be nominated by a minority of the voters. Meanwhile, Sullivan and Galvin spar over legacies and job descriptions as Dempsey and DiZoglio are neck-and-neck down the home stretch.
This election cycle is already set to inject new ideas into the state executive, with at least four new officers to be elected in November. But exactly which ideas the voters want to inject will be determined by this primary, and the futures of both parties will be determined right along with them.
The Massachusetts state primary elections will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022.
Image by Allaura Osborne created for use by the Harvard Political Review.
