Dems for gov spar on skills, hit Baker hard
Bay State Democratic hopefuls for governor Bob Massie and Jay Gonzalez sparred over who has the better resume and party support — but mostly how they’d both do a better job than Gov. Charlie Baker.
The Boston Herald Radio debate yesterday was a battle of progressives, with Gonzalez touting his experience as former Gov. Deval Patrick’s secretary of Administration and Finance.
“I’m not a creature of Beacon Hill, I’m not an establishment guy,” Massie responded on Herald Radio’s “Franck Talk” program with Democratic strategist Kevin Franck.
“I’m not worried about that because what I’ve done consistently in the past is start new organizations or lay out a bold vision for existing organizations,” he said.
Gonzalez said his experience will give him the tools to deliver on an agenda if elected governor.
“I think my experience in government is an added benefit,” Gonzalez said. “I think it does matter how government works … it’s not going to matter what we want to do and what all our aspirations are unless we deliver on it, and I think I’m better prepared to do that based on that experience, and I think it’s why we’ve got so much momentum in our campaign.”
Massie pushed back on the idea that the support Gonzalez has gotten from his endorsement at the Democratic Convention means he will likely prevail in the primary.
“The reality is, that is a much older and much more conventional group of people voting, and I don’t mean to say that with disrespect,” Massie said. “We’re in a time now (where) we need a different kind of leader, someone who can appeal to all of the different groups and someone who does not say, ‘I’m a creature of Beacon Hill and I would do well back up on Beacon Hill.’ ”
Massie also questioned his opponent’s attention to issues, such as economic equality and climate change action, on the campaign trail, stating he developed agendas for those issues before Gonzalez did.
“That’s not a fair characterization, Bob, to say I just come to work on or care about these issues,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve worked on and cared about many of them for much of my life.”
Both directly took issue with Baker’s leadership, criticizing what they claim to be short-term solutions to larger issues.
Massie said as governor he would provide investments into areas he believes have been ignored, such as the MBTA.
Gonzalez said his approach would be “180 percent” different from that of the current governor.
“There’s this lack of respect that I see in our governor for the regular people across the state,” Gonzalez said. “And I am in this race to run for all of those little guys out there.”