John Connolly needs Charlotte Golar Richie.
With two more Connolly endorsement events planned today, a much coveted endorsement from Golar Richie could breathe fresh air into his campaign in just a matter of hours. In Connolly’s defense, there are still 26 days until polls open on Nov. 5; he still has time to regain some momentum.
An endorsement from Golar Richie does not have to be today, tomorrow, or next week, but, it needs come Connolly’s way because his competitor, Representative Marty Walsh, has been steadily gaining momentum over the last two months.
With unparalleled union support, passionate hometown voters, and a distinctly recognizable Boston accent, the Irish Walsh was destined to be a contender in the race to succeed Mayor Tom Menino. The endorsements he received from Felix Arroyo and John Barros on Tuesday, however, might have made him a favorite come election day.
If Walsh isn’t the favorite, Connolly, at the very least, is no longer a heavy front-runner the polls seemed to suggest.
A Golar Richie endorsement could swing things back in his favor. After all, she was the third place finisher in the Sept. 24 preliminary. But its not the just the 15,000-plus –14 percent — votes she received that the candidates want to come their way; it’s what she represents.
As a black woman running for mayor of Boston, Golar Richie had the potential to be a real game changer in the Boston political scene — historically overflowing with Irish and Italian men. While Irish and Italian generations represent a portion of the City’s cultural and political core, demographics have shifted as the city has grown.
Boston is a majority-minority city, with 53 percent of its residents of non-white race/ethnicity. And the preliminary race underscored that fact; half of the the 12 preliminary candidates were non-white.
With Connolly and Walsh emerging as the top two candidates, its clear that Irish politicians in Boston still have the upper hand, but approximately 46 percent of the preliminary vote went to non-white candidates — with Arroyo, Barros, and Golar Richie receiving the most votes of non-white candidates.
Walsh’s support from Barros and Arroyo has, or, should have, changed the feel and look of his campaign in the eyes’ of the public. Being an Irishman with blue collar routes, perhaps, used to be enough to resonate with voters, but not today.
Connolly received three endorsements yesterday from Aaron Michlewitz, Sal LaMattina, and Sal DiDomenico. Those names don’t resonate like Barros and Arroyo. Frankly, their endorsements were boring and rather “ho-hum.”
This is not a knock on any of the endorsers political achievements, or the people they represent. Moreover, its not a suggestion that Connolly, suddenly, doesn’t stand a chance come Nov. 5. But they were hardly exciting announcements just one day after Walsh pulled in Arroyo and Barros — two young, exciting, and likable candidates from Jamaica Plain and Dorchester, who represent the shifting demographics of the city.
Connolly is politically savvy and remains a strong candidate, but he needs a boost. Maybe Golar Richie will provide that.
Image from CBS Boston
