COULD IT BE that the heir to Republican Charlie Baker and his magic moderate recipe for political success is the state’s Trump-suing Democratic attorney general, Maura Healey?
Healey might not mind if that’s the case, but just don’t say it too loudly. That is one way to read the early days of her entry into the governor’s race.
The conversation this week on the mood of the electorate has largely centered on the results of a new survey by the MassINC Polling Group.
The poll, carried out for the center-left group Policy for Progress, found that Healey has a big lead over her two Democratic primary rivals, Harvard professor Danielle Allen and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz. Among likely Democratic primary voters, Healey was the choice of 48 percent, Chang-Diaz pulled support from 12 percent, and Allen stood at 3 percent.
But what’s created all the buzz is that when the poll drilled down to ask more about voters’ views, it found that fully half (51 percent) of Democratic primary voters want a candidate who lands in the same spot as Baker on the ideological spectrum. That compared with 38 percent who want a candidate who is more liberal than Baker, who has opted not to run for a third term. (Though it’s a small number, remarkably, 6 percent of Democratic primary voters want a candidate more conservative than the Republican governor.)
Globe columnist Scot Lehigh pronounces the poll findings “good news” for Healey. “Healey has positioned herself as a pragmatist, noting that her approach will be to keep what’s working and fix what’s not,” he writes this morning. “Her two primary rivals are offering rhetoric and proposals that are farther left. She seems much closer to the state’s political sweet spot.”
Lehigh points out that more Democratic primary voters said they’d be influenced by a Baker endorsement in the primary than one from “left-wing crusader” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (44 percent vs. 31 percent).
For her part, Healey still seems to be figuring out how she wants to position herself in the race.
At her first media availability after announcing her candidacy last month, Healey was asked by NBC10’s Alison King whether she puts herself on the same “plane” as “uber progressive” Ayanna Pressley, whose 2018 insurgent campaign got an important early endorsement from the AG.
“I’ll leave that to others to characterize my record,” Healey said. When pressed on whether her views usually line up with those of Pressley, Healey said, “I think if you look at my record, it speaks for itself in terms where I am on fighting systemic racism and inequality, fighting for access to affordable health care, recognizing that across every sector, whether it’s employment, transportation, the environment, criminal justice, we can and should apply an equity lens to everything that we do.”
On an appearance on Thursday on WBUR’s “Radio Boston,” Healey finally embraced the p-word when asked whether she was a moderate.
“I am a proud progressive and I am incredibly proud of my record,” she said. “I mean, look, I was the one that challenged and successfully defeated the Defense of Marriage Act. I brought cases against big banks, first-of-its-kind civil rights claims for their discriminatory practices back in the day of the mortgage meltdown in 2008.”
“I understand that there are those who want to ascribe labels to me,” Healey said. “Frankly, I don’t know that voters or ordinary people care much about labels. They care about who you are and what you’re going to do.”
A big reason for the moderate tilt not just of the state’s overall electorate but of likely Democratic primary voters is that those not registered under either party label can vote in either primary. These “unenrolled” voters now make up the majority of the state electorate (57 percent vs. 32 percent who are registered as Democrats and 10 percent who are Republicans).
In that regard, the only piece of potentially bad news for Healey in recent days is the entry of businessman Chris Doughty into the Republican primary race.
It’s not clear that Doughty, who casts himself in the more moderate mold of Baker, will gain traction in his primary race against Trump-backed conservative Geoff Diehl. If he does, he could draw some unenrolled voters to cast a ballot in the Republican primary – voters who would otherwise have voted in the Democratic contest and presumably been more inclined toward Healey than either of her more left-leaning rivals.
For now, though, Healey seems pretty well positioned – whatever you call her.
MICHAEL JONAS
FROM COMMONWEALTH
Not exactly pinching pennies: The Legislature, in a matter of hours, took a $55 million COVID spending bill and turned it into a $101 million COVID spending bill. Read more.
Infrastructure sweepstakes: Gov. Charlie Baker sketches out a plan for spending $9.5 billion in federal infrastructure funds and tapping a portion of $110 billion in grant money that’s up for grabs. Read more.
Drug pricing push: The Senate is taking another shot at legislation controlling the price of drugs, including a provision that would cap the cost of insulin at $25 a month. Read more.
OPINION
TB12 doesn’t cut it: James Aloisi, who admits he’s no sports enthusiast, delivers a “duende” diss to Tom Brady, who many consider the GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. Read more.
Step up on climate: Bradley Campbell of the Conservation Law Foundation says the region’s power grid operator should stop crying wolf about the potential for rolling blackouts. Read more.
FROM AROUND THE WEB
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
Problems with crime and disorder continue to be rampant in the Mass. and Cass area of Boston despite the recent move to clear the area of tent encampments of homeless people. (Boston Globe)
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu launches a new office focused on the plight of Black men and boys. (Boston Globe)
Dysfunction in Swampscott as the Select Board and the Housing Authority finger-point over an apparently botched appointment to the Housing Authority. (Daily Item)
HEALTH/HEALTH CARE
The Massachusetts Nurses Association says the parent company that owns Beverly Hospital, Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester, and Lahey Outpatient Center in Danvers, has lost 40 percent of its nursing staff since mid-2019, due to excessive patient loads, forced overtime, and COVID. (MassLive)
A union organizing drive at McLean Hospital in Belmont is being met with fierce resistance from management at the acclaimed psychiatric facility. (Boston Globe)
A protest outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital targets two doctors who are trying to promote health care for non-white communities. The protesters viewed their work as anti-white. (GBH)
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Apple’s new privacy features are creating problems for internet companies. Meta, for example, said the Apple shift cost it $10 billion. (New York Times)
The pandemic has pushed more women into starting their own businesses. (Patriot Ledger)
EDUCATION
Fueled by the pandemic, Worcester public schools have lost more than 1,000 students in recent years, and it’s not clear where they went. (Telegram & Gazette)
A new report examines why principals keep quitting in the Amherst school district. It finds that several principals said a false narrative grew up around them, such as accusing them of being “a white supremacist” or a “misogynist.” (MassLive)
COVID infections are dropping in Massachusetts schools, but there were still more than 10,000 student infections last week. (MassLive) Some experts are questioning whether the state is using outdated evidence on mask-wearing in setting policy for schools. (Boston Globe)
A newly appointed Boston school committee member asked the school department to conduct a new audit of the district’s graduation rate following a Globe story reporting that the figure has been inaccurately inflated for several years. (Boston Globe)
TRANSPORTATION
Gov. Charlie Baker, who has previously been hesitant about backing East-West rail, includes in his plan for the use of federal infrastructure money some funding for service improvements between Springfield and Worcester, as a step toward expanded passenger rail. (MassLive)
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
A University of Massachusetts Amherst atmospheric scientist says climate change means heavier and more intense snowstorms are part of the state’s future. (Boston Herald)
MEDIA
The Telegram & Gazette launches a new column on the cannabis industry, written by Eric Casey, who has worked in the industry since legalization.