MA GOP Resurgence Evident in Primary Results – 134 Republican Candidates On Ballot for 2010 Elections

Yesterday’s primary results in Massachusetts yielded 134 Republican candidates for both State and Federal offices. For the first time in over two decades, there will be valid choices in Congressional District races in the Bay State. The majority of the Bay State’s Democrat Congressional Block has has not faced strong Republican opposition in decades – that changed yesterday. According to the Massachustts Republican Party there are 5 Candidates for Statewide Office, 104 Candidates for the Legislature, 9 Candidates for Congress, 2 Candidates for District Attorney, 2 Candidates for County Commissioner, 7 Candidates for Sheriff and 5 Candidates for Governor’s Council.

Jennifer Nassour, Chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party released the following statement following the primary results:

“I offer my sincerest congratulations to GOP nominees up and down the ballot who won their primaries, and thank all those candidates who helped renew a two-party system in Massachusetts. The real work begins now when our Republican candidates take their message of fiscal sanity to Independents and Democrats across the Commonwealth. For the first time in a long time, the wind is at our Party’s back in Massachusetts. Voters are motivated and eager for change because Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill have done nothing to create jobs -- whether it’s the Patrick-Cahill Administration’s eight tax increases or a job-killing health care bill from the Democrats in Congress. I’m confident that voter enthusiasm will only continue to surge for the GOP, and our candidates will pound the pavement through November 2nd with a message of fiscal discipline and real reform.”

One could, in fact, call the results of last night’s primary, nothing short of historical. Although there is little to be found on the majority of the results from major news outlets, and was little prior to the election and during the primary itself (with a focus on Democrat primaries for open seats and or District Attorney races), the fact that there were competitive races that resulted in 134 candidates in Massachusetts is no mean feat. It remains to be seen how long the (local state) media in the Commonwealth will be able to “ignore” the races – specifically the Congressional Races as October brings the reality of a mid-term and the opportunity for many who sat out this primary to get out and vote. The total vote results were fairly indicative of a low voter turnout, and primarily paralleled major party enrollment, meaning that the vast majority of the state’s electorate, the Unenrolled, sat out the primary.

Based on the pundits, one would think that the die has been cast for politics as usual; however, those same pundits cast doubt on the Bay State in December of 09 into the final week of the January 19th special election. It will be a combination of party partisan “red-meat”, and, more importantly, those on the ground who feel enough is enough (the unenrolled, and other party affiliates) that will ultimately make the decision. Although the media ignores, and the pundits from Washington insist the Bay State is solid blue, one cannot bet the house on incumbents retaining their offices past the November general.