With the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts entering the homestretch, State Senator Eric Lesser Monday rolled out a number of endorsements from prominent politicians who emphasized his candidacy’s importance to the western part of the state.
With Springfield’s Union Station as a backdrop Congressman Richard Neal threw his backing to Lesser’s bid to become lieutenant governor, praising the four-term State Senator from Longmeadow for his work history in the Obama White House followed by the state legislature and for his character.
“I’m telling you this is a special talent from western Massachusetts,” Neal said of Lesser. “The courage that he’s had to step forward and engage in a statewide race; that is not an easy thing to do.”
Neal, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and the dean of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, said Lesser can provide a much needed voice for western Massachusetts on Beacon Hill as decisions are made about spending billions in federal money that is now available.
“Maura Healey is going to be the governor and we need somebody in that room advocating for the interests of what I always call ‘Worcester west’,” Neal said.
That theme of regional equity was echoed in the comments of others who endorsed Lesser at Monday’s event including the mayors of the region’s two largest cities: Domenic Sarno of Springfield and John Vieau of Chicopee.
“He gets it. He feels it. He lives it. He’ll fight for us in western Massachusetts,” Sarno said.
Lesser said that if he succeeds in winning statewide office his home will remain in western Massachusetts.
“I’m going to keep driving back and forth,” Lesser said. “But every day I’m going to come home and continue to put my head on the pillow in western Mass. That is the whole point. That is why we’re running.”
Two other Democrats are running for the nomination for lieutenant governor: Kim Driscoll, the five-term mayor of Salem and Tami Gouveia, a State Representative from Acton.
Driscoll has touted endorsements for her campaign from dozens of elected officials in western Massachusetts, claiming in a recent press release to have a larger share of support in the region than any other candidate in the race.
Lesser has outpaced both his opponents in fundraising. His campaign reported $1.1 million on hand at the end of June. Driscoll’s campaign cash totaled about $276,000. Gouveia’s campaign has struggled to raise money and has received $144,000 from the state’s public campaign finance system.
Last week, a super PAC supported by a frequent Republican donor filed campaign finance paperwork with the state and plans to run TV ads supporting Driscoll’s campaign, according to the Boston Globe.
“Why on earth is a mega-donor to national Republicans, someone who has helped support Mitch McConnell, someone who has given tens of thousands of dollars to national Republicans, why is she accepting support from people like that?” Lesser said.
Lesser said he plans to have ads on TV by next week.
With no contest for governor to drive voter turnout in the primary, the ability to get campaign ads on TV is important, said Matt Szafranski, Editor-in-Chief of Western Mass Politics & Insight.
“And that is probably going to be a way that people know there is an election at all and they might associate it with whoever they see more of on television,” Szafranski told WAMC.
Primary day is September 6th, but ballot applications went out last week and people could soon be voting by mail. A three-week period of early voting starts in mid-August.
