The political world in Massachusetts and beyond is mourning the death of a highly regarded and respected Democratic strategist responsible for some of the state’s most historic campaigns.
John Walsh died Monday. He was 65 and had been diagnosed a year ago with stomach cancer.
Walsh managed Deval Patrick’s 2006 campaign that saw Patrick, a first-time candidate, win election as the state’s first Black governor and end 16-years of Republican control over the governor’s office.
In 2020, Walsh managed the successful re-election campaign of U.S. Senator Ed Markey, who had to beat back a primary challenge by then U.S. Rep. Joseph Kenney III. It was the first time a Kennedy lost an election in Massachusetts.
At the time of his death, Walsh was Senator Markey’s chief of staff.
Scores of political professionals count Walsh as a mentor and friend. Among them is Alex Goldstein. Fresh out of college, Goldstein was hired by Walsh to work on the Patrick campaign.
WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Goldstein.
