Perhaps in a sign of confidence or foreshadowing, Boston mayor aspirant and State Representative Marty Walsh will host a press conference on the front steps of Massachusetts State House where he will announce yet another endorsement in a long line of such, this time from his Beacon Hill colleagues and members of the Progressive Caucus who if they have their way, will situate Walsh’s name on the City Hall door of outward, though current, Boston Mayor Tom Menino.
Walsh will be joined by supporters Rep. Marjorie Decker, Rep. Ruth Balser, Rep. Jay Kaufman, Rep. Chris Walsh, Rep. Dave Rogers, Rep. Denise Provost, and Rep. Frank Smizik. And while they won’t be there in person, Rep. Paul Brodeur, Rep. Liz Malia, Rep. Jim O’Day, Rep. Tim Toomey, Rep. Mary Keefe, Rep. Ken Gordon, Rep. Lori Ehrlich, Rep. Jen Benson, Rep. Kay Khan, Rep. Ellen Story, Rep. Ken Gordon, Rep. Jason Lewis, Rep. Sean Garballey, and former Rep. Alice Wolf have each thrown their support behind the Walsh machine.
The latest poll numbers have all indicated that challenger John Connolly, Boston City Council At-Large, is leading the race but Walsh has been gobbling up big-name endorsements the way Joey Chestnut does hotdogs. To date, he’s received backing from former candidates John Barros, a one-time Boston School Committee member; City Council member Felix Arroyo; and YouthBuild exec Charlotte Golar Richie.
He’s also pulled in support from the LGBTQ community and already wields strong union support from his days as Laborers Local 223 union President.
It’s not a knock on Connolly’s personality, his political vision, or his aptitude to potentially run the city of Boston but his endorsements just don’t carry the same kind of recognition and reputation as Walsh’s and this could be a sign that the mayoral race balance of power is beginning to tip in Walsh’s favor. It’s difficult enough to find differences between the two viable candidate’s politics, so affirmation from those who are already on the minds of Bostonians is a huge swing for Walsh.
[Photo courtesy of the Committee to Elect Martin J. Walsh]
