Dem chair reflects on party successes, future
The resounding success of the state’s Democratic party is the result of grassroots efforts, focus on local issues and a lack of infighting, somethings Republicans have been missing, the outgoing party chairman said.
“Really it comes down to looking at every election as being a local election,” fourterm Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford said.
Bickford, speaking with WBZ’s Jon Keller, said the success his party has seen in eight years — 13 flipped seats in the Legislature, holding or taking every statewide office, all nine House and both Senate seats — comes down to a matter of listening to candidates and constituents.
“Figuring out how can we be helpful, and it’s a proverbial we,” he said. “When I took over as chair, I said to the membership and I said to the activists, ‘What I really want to do as chair is provide you the tools to be successful.’”
Republicans, Bickford said, should perhaps take a hint on the matter, what with their losing almost every race they mounted last election cycle and considering the past record of former President Donald Trump in the deep blue Bay State.
“They didn’t keep it simple,” he said. “They followed Trump, which was bad for the country and bad for Massachusetts.”
Part of the problem for Republicans was Bickford’s conservative counterpart for the last two cycles, then MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons, he said. That changed at the end of January when Lyons, who found himself surrounded by interparty controversy following November’s disastrous election outcome, lost his job to newly elected party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale.
That’s a good sign for the state, the leader of its liberal party said.
“I myself am very happy with the new leadership on the Republican State Committee and I think it will just be good for Massachusetts,” he said.
Bickford will leave office at the end of April and has endorsed, along with Gov. Maura Healey, former Lt. Gov. candidate Steve Kerrigan, who is not currently a member of the state party committee.
Kerrigan, who ran for office with former Attorney General Martha Coakley, may have his work cut out for him despite the party’s control of essentially everything in the state, Keller noted, saying that — just like the MassGOP — the Democrats also have their ideological extremes.
Bickford said that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“We need to have quality debate and so I think it’s really good that we have a left wing, but we also have a moderate wing, and so they just need to work together so that they represent all of the constituents in Massachusetts and make Massachusetts better,” he said. “It’s a juggling act, but its really good to have a left wing, a progressive wing, you know, pushing us forward.”