Three Dem hopefuls flail as Baker sails
Gov buoyed by $$, poll numbers
Gov. Charlie Baker raked in his usual big haul last month — nearly $350,000 in campaign cash from bigmoney donors. His Democratic opponents — all three combined — don’t have even that much to spend.
Right now it’s not even a fair fight.
The election is less than eight months away, and the Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls are flailing away, failing to stir up much money or interest in their uphill battle to unseat Baker.
The Baker campaign had a cool $7.4 million at the end of last month, and can afford high-priced consultants, pollsters and tens of thousands in catering. Democrat Bob Massie dines at Chipotle, campaign finance records show.
Another, Jay Gonzalez, a former Deval Patrick aide — is resorting to showing up at Baker’s Swampscott home and challenging the governor to take the commuter rail. Like voters are all up in arms over the gov’s SUV.
Massie has a grand total of $19,697 in his campaign account. A third Democrat, Setti Warren, the former Newton Mayor, is putting out press releases touting all the Baker “scandals.”
Included in the “scandal” list is possible fare hikes on the T, and delays on the commuter rail.
The Republican governor is dealing with some scandal — most notably in his state police ranks — but is otherwise cruising along as he nears the end of his first four-year term. His popularity and job approval ratings are above the 70 percent mark, usually a sign that an incumbent will win re-election. A vast majority of voters believe the state is headed in the right direction.
That’s not to say his reelection is automatic, not in a state where just 1 in 10 voters is a Republican. Baker has some weaknesses. A strong Democrat — say, Attorney General Maura Healey — could exploit them.
But there’s no Maura Healey in the field. Gonzalez has never run for elective office, and has all the charisma of a bureaucrat. Massie has failed in his previous bids for office, and has less than $20,000 in his campaign account.
Warren is vying to become the state’s second black governor, and probably has the most potential. He’s running an aggressive campaign, criticizing Baker at every turn. When Massachusetts fell in the rankings of best state in the nation from first to eighth, the Warren campaign pounced. Voters and the media yawned.
Warren had less than $100,000 in the bank at the end of February. His campaign is spending about as much as it’s raising.
The future looks bleak for Democrats. At least one needs to break out soon, because right now the voters seem satisfied with Baker. And Baker hasn’t really even gotten started.