| National elections: So, what does Dem control of U.S. House mean for Massachusetts? |
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| Since yesterday was effectively a national referendum on Donald Trump, let’s get the national stuff out of the way first. As the Washington Post reports, Democrats did indeed win back control of the U.S. House yesterday – and WGBH’s Andy Metzger asks: ‘What does this mean for Massachusetts.’ Spoiler: It means Massachusetts Dems will now chair two very powerful House committees. … From the Herald’s Joe Battenfeld: ‘The House gets swathed in a deep shade of blue.’
But Republicans did retain, and even expanded, their control of the U.S. Senate, prompting The Hill to pronounce: ‘The blue wave ran into Trump’s red wall.’ … From the Globe’s Scot Lehigh: ‘Not a blue wave, but an important splash.’ … In other election news from around the country, from the NYT: ‘Ted Cruz Defeats Beto O’Rourke for Senate in Texas.’ … From the NYT: ‘Democrats Oust Walker in Wisconsin and Kobach in Kansas but Fall Short in Florida and Ohio.’ … From the Atlanta J-C in Georgia: ‘Kemp confident of victory, Abrams predicts runoff.’ … Now on to the local races. … |
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| Baker rolls to victory in governor’s race: Now what? |
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| As expected, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker easily won re-election for a second term, hauling in 67 percent of the vote over Dem challenger Jay Gonzalez, as the Globe’s Joshua Miller and Matt Stout report. The Herald’s Mary Markos reports Baker won with a lot of Democratic support.
The question now: What does Baker do now? In an editorial, the Globe is urging the governor to expend some of his political capital on the issues of education, housing and transportation. … The Globe’s Joan Vennochi wonders if Baker is dreaming about 2020 yet. It’s unlikely. But you never know. … The Herald’s Howie Carr wants Baker officially outed as a Democrat. … The Herald’s Hillary Chabot says Baker will face an “unsettled” legislature in his second term. … SHNS’s Colin Young says Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito is mum about her own future political ambitions. And, finally, Antonio Caban at WGBH reports that Baker’s victory, combined with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s victory, means Massachusetts now has a sort of purplish tint. |
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| U.S. Senate: Warren easily wins – and it’s now onto 2020 |
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| In pre-election polls, it looked like U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s support might be slipping a bit. Not so. She scored a solid victory last night, nabbing about 60 percent of the vote, putting her in a good position to do what she really wants to do: Run for president. The Globe’s Victoria McGrane and Laura Krantz and the Herald’s Sean Phillip Cotter have the details. How eager is Warren to get started on her next race? She’s off to Rhode Island today, reports the Providence Journal.
But Republican candidate Geoff Diehl may have won, sort of, by boosting his profile for future runs, reports the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter. But Rachelle Cohen wasn’t too impressed with his campaign, saying “Mr. Cellophane left Warren perfectly free to campaign whenever and wherever she pleased.” |
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| Ballot Questions: No on Q1 (overwhelmingly so), Yes on Q3 (overwhelmingly so) |
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| The controversial nurse-staffing Question 1 was overwhelmingly rejected yesterday. We’re talking crushed beyond recognition. Martha Bebinger at WBUR and Priyanka Dayal McCluskey and Andy Rosen at the Globe have the lopsided-vote details. Backers of Question 1 are vowing the long-term battle over nurse-staffing-ratios isn’t over, reports Nik DeCosta-Klipa at Boston.com.
On Question 3, voters overwhelmingly voted to keep the state’s new transgender rights law, reports Stephanie Ebbert at the Globe. In pre-election polls, voters consistently signaled their desire to keep the law – and they didn’t waver yesterday. |
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