MA Gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick speaking recently on Medicare for All: "All Means ALL!"
This past Friday and Saturday, Mass Dems held their convention in Worcester to select candidates for a number of state races. The most surprising result was that of expected gubernatorial frontrunner Martha Coakley, who finished far behind leader Steve Grossman and edged Don Berwick for the second spot by a bare 1.2% of delegates.
This was my second time as a delegate, the previous being 2002 when I attended to support Robert Reich for Governor. Reich made it to the primary ballot but lost to Shannon O’Brien who in turn was defeated by a guy named Mitt Romney. I have always felt that, had Reich gotten the nomination, it would have been the last time we’d have heard of Mittens. (Which, however, might have deprived me of one of my best palindrome compositions: see my sig line.)
Summary impressions and detailed results below the Boehner-colored doodle.
I remember at the 2002 convention being singularly unimpressed with most of the other candidates. Not so this time. Although I will be working hard for both Don Berwick for Governor and Maura Healy for Attorney General, I could feel comfortable supporting many of the potential Dem candidates in November. (And of course I’ll support even a Dem I don’t like over any of the GOP critters!) Although Juliette Kayyem failed to qualify, she delivered a great speech. And it was super to see both Attorney General candidate Maura Healy and Treasurer candidate Steve Kerrigan be greeted on stage after their speeches with kisses and hugs from their same-sex partners! Massachusetts progressives can definitely take credit for leading the changes on that issue!
My gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick emerged from the convention with a huge boost. Perennial office seekers Coakley and Grossman, in that order, were the big favorites. It was unclear if any of the other three candidates would garner the 15% of delegates needed to qualify. But Don mesmerized the crowd with a great speech during which he rolled out a new campaign message:
“All means all! With Liberty and Justice for All! Medicare for All. Let’s tell Charlie Baker (the almost-certain GOP candidate and Chris Christie chum and contributor) and the rest of the Republicans: ALL MEANS ALL!”
I have the feeling that many delegates who may never have heard Don speak before and were not planning to vote for him, switched their votes to him. The result was a nailbiter between Don and Coakley, with the final count requiring over two hours to finalize! Don finished with over 972 delegates, 22.1% of the total and just 52 votes behind Coakley.
Don Berwick thus enters the race as the only new face, and the only one with knowledge and experience to destroy Charlie Baker on his own turf. Would you rather vote for a health insurance executive or a pediatrician who has led the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services for the Obama administration?
To say that Don’s campaign has been energized by the result is to put it mildly. He still lags far behind Grossman and Coakley in name recognition, but that is about to change! Here is his website if you want to learn more about Don Berwick and perhaps make a contribution to his campaign.
The overall results from the convention were (with 15% needed to qualify for the primary):
Governor:
Steve Grossman 35.2%
Martha Coakley 23.3%
Don Berwick 22.1%
Juliette Kayyem 12.1% (did not qualify)
Joe Avellone 7.0% (did not qualify)
Lieutenant Governor
Steve Kerrigan 37.6%
Mike Lake 35.4%
Leland Cheung 16.2%
Attorney General:
Warren Tolman 51.8%
Maura Healy 48.1%
Treasurer:
Deb Goldberg 38.0%
Tom Conroy 33.9%
Barry Feingold 27.1%