The year 2022 has come and gone with much affecting the City of Springfield. As a part of the commonwealth, nation and world, it felt inflation, the war in Ukraine, national political contests and the state’s own elections.
BOSTON—Days before Eric Lesser gave his last speech as a state senator from Western Massachusetts, the commonwealth, jointly with Amtrak, applied for a $108 million federal grant. In the twilight of his Senate tenure, the project took one of its greatest leaps toward reality.
Nearly three weeks after Attorney General Maura Healey formally became governor-elect of the commonwealth, some meat on the bones of her budding administration are coming into view. Some of their choices for policy committees signal some commitment to a key promise.
BELCHERTOWN—Eight years ago, Aaron Saunders never got the chance to campaign with a US Senator. Flash forward to the Saturday before Election Day this year that, until the end, looked rough for Democrats. Markey was on hand to rally the troops here, a crucial town for the House district Saunders was running in.
LUDLOW—In a night that showed Democrats holding out better than expected, Massachusetts made history with the election of the first woman as its chief executive. In the 413, the few competitive races sorted in line with expectations.
SPRINGFIELD—It was a perfect day for peacemaking last month outside Union Station. Yet, the political and practical challenges of stitching east and west together pale in comparison to the broader task before Maura Healey.
The legal drama around the criminal indictments arising from the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home COVID-19 outbreak has flown under the radar since the appeal began. The case, however, jolted a bit in public view again as Healey’s office sought direct review from the Supreme Judicial Court.
LUDLOW—In what may be the least climactic open Democratic gubernatorial primary in half a century, on Tuesday Attorney General Maura Healey became her party’s nominee to succeed outgoing GOP Governor Charlie Baker.
NORTHAMPTON—Aside from incumbent Maura Healey, the last Massachusetts Attorney General that had not previously held elective office was Edward Brooke. Still, three of Andrea Campbell’s recent would-be predecessors had been district attorneys.
The race for Massachusetts Attorney General has taken a series of sharp this past week, culminating in one candidate dropping out and endorsing a now-former rival. Quentin Palfrey, the former top lawyer at the Commerce Department and his party’s 2018 nominee to lieutenant governor, exited the race Tuesday.