New England Public Radio

Seeking State Senate Seat, Humason, Bartley Debate in Springfield

The candidates vying to fill the Massachusetts state senate seat formerly held by Mike Knapik debated each other Friday. State Representative Don Humason of Westfield, a Republican, and Holyoke City Councilor David Bartley, a Democrat, will be on the ballot next month. 

Bartley and Humason both tout their commitment to western Massachusetts, and their frustration with the lack of state dollars spent in the region. Humason says current local aid formulas tend to leave these communities shorted on state money.

“So it’s kind of incumbent on us as elected officials to stand up on our chairs and loudly scream and try to make a case for our situation out here in western Mass.,” says Humason, “and that is an ongoing battle, and one that I will happily fight.”

Humason has served as a state rep. since 2003. He points to economic development projects in Westfield as some of his accomplishments. But Bartley argues that Humason’s legislative record is weak.

“You can’t sit in the statehouse for six terms and have a record devoid of accomplishment,” Bartley says. “You need to work with both sides of the aisle, particularly in this state being a Democratic majority, you’ve got to work with the leadership there.”

The seat has been in Republican hands since Mike Knapik was first elected in 1994. If Democrats win it, the senate will have hust three Republicans. 

WGBY public television hosted the debate, and will air it next Friday.

A Preview of Tuesday’s Mayoral Vote in Holyoke, MA

Voters in Holyoke, Massachusetts go to the polls Tuesday to make a pick for mayor. The vote will narrow a field of five candidates to two. Those two will advance to the general election on November 5th. For a preview of the race, New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan spoke with reporter Henry Epp. 

Holyoke Mayor’s Age, Experience Cited by Challengers

The five candidates running for mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts faced off in a debate Wednesday. Several challengers went after the youth of incumbent Mayor Alex Morse, who is 24 years old. 

Candidate Jeff Stanek cites his experience as a former chief financial officer for several companies as credentials for becoming Holyoke’s mayor. Speaking about his own business experience at the debate, Stanek talked directly about Morse’s youth.

“We’re running a $120 million entity, and there are certain life experiences that are necessary to make that effective, and be effective in that role,” said Stanek.

Morse dismissed those claims after the debate. 

“I think that’s an old, tired, age-ist argument,” said Morse. “I’ve been mayor for longer than he’s been mayor first of all, and I understand how to balance the city’s budget. We’ve made progress. I don’t think that’s an argument that resonates with the voters.”

Another challenger, Danny Szostkiewicz, who was the city’s mayor from 1996 to 1999, also alluded to Morse’s age, saying the city can’t afford a leader who learns on the job. Candidates Dan Boyle and Jim Santiago also participated in the debate. A preliminary election to narrow the field to two candidates is next Tuesday.

Senate Election Recap with UMass Poll Director Brian Schaffner

Democrat Edward Markey is now officially U.S. Senator-elect in Massachusetts. Markey defeated Republican Gabriel Gomez in yesterday’s special election with 55% of the vote. New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp spoke with Brian Schaffner, chair of the UMass Amherst political science department and director of the UMass Poll, who says the election results brought few surprises, as a low number of voters turned out to the polls.

Markey Beats Gomez in Massachusetts US Senate Special Election Race

Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Ed Markey has defeated Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez to replace John Kerry. Markey will be the next US Senator from the Bay State. Markey garnered 55 %, Gomez 45%. Markey, who has served in the House for more than 36 years, stopped at a restaurant in Medford today to thank voters for their support in the election. UMass Amherst Poll director, Brian Schaffner says the election results held few surprises, even with remarkably low voter turnout. Less than 1.2 million people went to the polls, out of 4.3 million eligible voters. Schaffner says according to UMass Poll results from earlier this month, higher turnout may not have made a significant difference.

“When we did our poll in early June, we found that among registered voters, Markey had about the same lead as when we narrowed the poll to just likely voters. So turnout I’m not sure made a big difference, actually,” says Schaffner.

Schaffner says a sharply divided US senate may have drawn some Democrats away from voting for Gomez, despite his stance as a moderate Republican. Markey shifts from representing his congressional district to all of Massachusetts. He says it will require an understanding of every aspect of the state’s economy. Markey says he expects to be sworn in to the Senate sometime after July 4th.

Senate Poll Shows Markey with Lead Over Lynch, Both Democrats with Leads over Republicans

A newly released poll on the Massachusetts race to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat shows both Democratic Congressmen Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch have comfortable leads over the Republican candidates: businessman Gabriel Gomez, attorney Michael Sullivan, and State Representative Dan Winslow.

The Western New England University poll conducted last week also gives Markey a 10-point lead over Lynch, with a 6-point margin of error. Gomez and Sullivan both lead Winslow by over 18 percent, and Gomez has a 6-point lead over Sullivan. But that is within the large margin of error of 9 percent.

Tim Vercellotti, director of Western New England University’s polling institute, says despite Markey’s lead over Lynch in pre-primary polls, when matched up to each Republican candidate, Lynch leads with much wider margins, especially among unenrolled voters.

“In fact, Lynch is even polling strong among Republican voters. In these match ups, Lynch is pulling up to a quarter of the Republican vote from his hypothetical opponents. So, of the two potential Democratic nominees, he seems like the more formidable general election candidate, compared to Ed Markey.”

But Vercellotti says Markey has more support from registered Democrats, who he says may turn out in higher numbers for a primary. The primaries are April 30th, and the special election is June 25th.

Markey and Lynch debate tonight in Boston and tomorrow night in Springfield. The Republicans have no more debates before the primary.

Click here for a full interview with Tim Vercillotti.