Chris Doughty (Republican) and Maura Healey (Democratic) : our endorsees for Governor

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On Tuesday, September 6th, many of us — hopefully a great many — will vote for the nominees we wish to advance to November’s election ballot. We at Here and Sphere thus offer you our candidate endorsements, which we base on personal character, common sense gaenda, and preference over the alternatives.

GOVERNOR: Democratic primary — we support MAURA HEALEY, who is unopposed, with State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz having dropped her own candidacy. Healey’s diligent, comprehensive record over eight years as Attorney General, of support for women’s rights, immigrant rights, and against predatory lenders and oil companies support her case for governing the entirety of State administration. Will her supporters allow her, as Governor, to pursue a course independent of the Democratic-dominated legislature ? That’s a fair question to ask, but the answer is for November, not the primary.

GOVERNOR : Republican Primary — we endorse Wrentham businessman CHRIS DOUGHTY and his Lt Governor runnung mate KATE CAMPANALE. Doughty has two advantages : his opponent, GEOFF DIEHL, a former legislator, was Trump’s Massachusetts chairman, which, for us, is itelf a disqualification. Second, Doughty is pursuing a low tax, cautious reform agenda more or less reminiscent of Charlie Baker’s practices. Diehl’s LtGov, Leah Cole Allen, won a House seat in Peabody, was re-elected (narrowly), then quit — seat was then won by a Democrat — to retrn to her nursing job, from which she was later fired for refusing to be Covid vaccinated. Doughty’s second, Kate Campanale, served two estimable terms as a House member from the City of Worcester.

LT GOVERNOR, Democratic : easy to endorse four-term Salem Mayor KIM DRISCOLL over a Springfield-area State Senator, Eric Lesser, and Metro-west House member Tami Gouveia.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL, Democratic : easy agin to endorse, this time former Boston City Councillor ANDREA CAMPBELL, a pragamtic reformer who ran a superb 2021 campaign for Boston mayor, over ultra-progressive lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan, whose prodigious spending of her own money doesn’t help matters. As a Mayor hopeful, Campbell drew support from every part of Boston but with four strong contenders in the battle, wasn’t the top pick of most neighborhoods — I am reminded of Larry diCara’s similar finish in the 1983 Mayor race. This time, Campbell is the better choice in a two-person contest.

SECRETARY OF STATE, Democratic : current Secretary Bill Galvin, who has held the office for decades, is being challenged by Tanisha Sullivan. Galvin has held the job long enough, but I see nothing in Sullivan’s corpprate attorney resume that suggests she’s ready to oversee the State’s elections. No endorsement.

AUDITOR, Democratic : easy again to endorse, this tume Merrimac Valley State Senatir DIANA DiZOGLIO, over Cris Dempsey, whose big accomplishment (if you can call it that) was leading the pack that in 2014 hounded to defeat Mayor Walsh’s 2020 Boston Olympics proposal.

SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, Democratic : We support and endorse KEVIN HAYDEN, a 25-year former Assistant D. A., appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to fill the term of Rachael Rollins, who was named United States Attorney for Massachustts by President Biden. Hayden is opposed by Boton City Councillor Ricardo Arroyo.

SUFFOLK SHERIFF, Democratic ; We roudly endorse STEVEN TOMPKINS, the current Sheriff, who has innovated the entire role of Suffolk Sheriff, for re-election. He is opposed by Sandra Zamor Calixte.

ESSEX DISTRICT DISTRICT ATTORNEY : Easy to endorse PAUL TUCKER, Salem’s present State Rep and former Salem Police Chief, over private-practice attorney James O’Shea, a Middleton resident.

ESSEX DISTRICT SHERIFF : we endorse the current Sheriff, KEVIN COPPINGER a former City of Lynn police chief, over newcomer challenger Virgina Leigh.

Legislative endorsements to be posted next.

— Mike Freedberg, for the Editors, Here and Sphere