Juliette Kayyem may not wield as much political clout as Attorney General Martha Coakley but that’s not stopping the former from stepping into the gubernatorial ring with the latter. A relative unknown with a storied political background, Kayyem is the only other female candidate running for Governor of Massachusetts in the early stages of the race besides Coakley, but recently it seems Coakley doesn’t want it that way.
When speaking on Boston Herald Radio Tuesday, Kayyem noted that she’s felt “pressure to drop out of the race or to consider a run for a different position,” and moreover, it’s not something she’s unaccustomed to.
BostInno talked to a spokesperson with Kayyem’s campaign who told us that while the she never stated outright that Coakley has asked her to drop her bid for Beacon Hill, there’s an assumption that Kayyem will do exactly that. Her campaign headquarters as of late has received numerous calls inquiring as to whether she’ll toss her hat into the Attorney General race instead.
The only problem with that is, despite a JD from Harvard Law School and plenty of judicial work to her credit, she’s never been licensed in the state of Massachusetts. And you can’t be attorney general if you have no licensure.
Kayyem has also been subjected to unfavorable remarks from Shannon O’Brien — a former state treasurer who lost the governor’s race to Mitt Romney in 2002 — who stated back in October that “I just don’t think there’s room for another smart female in this race.”
But to counter, the Kayyem campaign contended bluntly, “Take the chromosomes out of the discussion. Juliette has and will continue to say that there should be more women running for office.”
Similarly, EMILY’s List – a pro-woman, Democratic political action committee in support of Coakley– confirmed that they asked Juliette to get out of the race, as noted by the Kayyem’s spokesperson.
It’s important to keep in mind, though, that Coakley never said anything directly, or alluded, to the fact that Kayyem ought to remove herself from the race. Still, some staunchly believe Coakley is puppeteering a subtle fear mongering initiative toward her fellow female candidate.
“Apparently, there is only room in the Massachusetts’ Democratic establishment for one woman and the power brokers are waging war on one to boost a one-time loser, Martha Coakley,” chimed Kirsten Hughes MassGOP chairman. “After all these years on Beacon Hill looking the other way for her powerful Democratic friends, you’d think Martha wouldn’t have to resort to bullying the other woman to get ahead in the crowded primary.”
BostInno reached out to Martha Coakley’s campaign for their take on the matter but have yet to receive a response.
