The state’s Democratic occasion demonstrated a cohesiveness that Massachusetts conservatives might solely dream of Tuesday night after they elected a brand new chair to steer liberal efforts for the following two years with out vocal opposition.
Former lieutenant governor nominee Steve Kerrigan, the CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, was the lone candidate working to succeed outgoing occasion chairman Gus Bickford, who leaves his place atop the MassDems after 6-years of efficiently increasing liberal management of the legislature, securing the governorship and sustaining each constitutional workplace.
“I inherit a strong foundation thanks to Gus Bickford’s terrific leadership,” Kerrigan stated in a press release after his victory. “My goal is to make the Massachusetts Democratic Party the gold standard for state parties across the country. We will do that by harnessing the tremendous energy at our grassroots, by representing all our people and being accessible to all, and by building an infrastructure that elects and supports Democratic leaders up and down the ballot. I cannot wait to get to work.”
Kerrigan, who ran unsuccessfully alongside former Attorney General Martha Coakley in her 2014 bid for the nook workplace, almost turned the occasion chair in 2016 however was narrowly defeated by Bickford. A veteran of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s workplace, the brand new occasion chair was broadly seen because the decide of now Gov. Maura Healey, who praised his ascension to the publish Wednesday.
“Steve is smart, collaborative, and knows what it takes to build successful campaigns. I look forward to the work ahead and to partnering with Steve to show how Democrats get results that matter in people’s lives,” Healey stated in a press release.
Bickford leaves workplace with the state occasion in a significantly better place than when he took over, securing over 80 open-seat contests beforehand held by Democrats.
“Leading our Party has been the honor of my professional life. We have fought with conviction for the priorities that we hold dear as a Party and have ushered in a new generation of leadership that better reflects our communities and our values. Our Party has made history together and for that, I will be eternally grateful,” Bickford stated in a press release.
With the departure of Bickford, each state events enter the upcoming election cycle with fully new management. Former MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons was narrowly defeated in his try at a 3rd time period by Chairwoman Amy Carnevale on the finish of January following a poor exhibiting in November’s election and amid allegations of economic impropriety.
Herald wire service contributed.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”