Common Wealth: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Mass Politics?

Friday, December 28, 2012

Adam Joseph Drici, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Every Friday, GoLocalWorcester takes a look at who's rising and falling in the Massachusetts political world.

Hot

Ed Markey: The Congressman from Malden took advantage of the downtime between Christmas and New Year's to jump out in front of his fellow Democrats and declare his candidacy for the special election to fill John Kerry's seat, which seems all but certain after the senior Senator's nomination to Secretary of State for President Obama's second-term cabinet. Markey has represented Massachusetts' 7th congressional district since 1976, and he is the longest-serving member of the state's congressional delegation. Those years of experience may prove to be a big selling point, now that the Bay State's tenure in the Senate has been reduced to zero. Markey has had plenty of time to rack up campaign contributions during his nearly three decades in Washington as well, and funding a Senate campaign will likely be easier for him than some of his potential rivals.

Elizabeth Warren: The Senator-elect rolled out a new leadership political action committee just before the holiday called the "PAC for a Level Playing Field." Warren already proved she could raise massive amounts of cash with her Senate run against Republican Scott Brown, and the leadership PAC, bearing one of her main campaign slogans, will help her raise money for other Democrats' campaigns. The Harvard Law professor has leveraged her base to aid Minnesota Senator Al Franken, and one has to wonder if the creation of her new PAC wasn't motivated at least in part by Senator Kerry's impending departure and a desire to have an ally in the upper house of Congress in Washington next year.

MA Slots Parlor: Time is running short for interested parties to apply with the state's gaming commission for the one slots parlor license up for grabs under the Commonwealth's casino law. With a smaller initial investment and quicker turnaround time than a traditional casino, the slots parlor could be up and running before any of the three Massachusetts casinos are even out of the gate. Facilities in Plainville and Raynham are already gearing up for the horse race, and Worcester may end up in the mix as well.

Not

Fiscal Cliff: A Congressional budget deal is looking less and less likely by the hour. President Obama is set to meet with leaders on both sides Friday, but after House Speaker John Boehner struck out with his own party in his last attempt at compromise, Democrats aren't holding their collective breath. The impending budget cuts and tax hikes could deal a serious blow to the Bay State, though the effects will not be immediate. There may still be time to climb back up after going over the fiscal cliff in January, but things would be much easier if officials could just avoid it altogether.

Senate Seniority: Massachusetts won't have any once the rest of the Senate confirms Kerry as Obama's new Secretary of State. In just a few short years, the Commonwealth will have gone from a combined 60 years of experience in the Senate to just a few months. Scott Brown's two years in Washington make him the only potential candidate with any time in the upper house, though whether or not his short tenure is enough of a selling point to send him back in a 2013 special election, or a 2014 election for a full six-year term, remains unclear.

MBTA Budget: As of this week, officials put the transit authority's budget deficit at $132 million for the coming fiscal year. While fare hikes and service cuts are not on the table yet, the state's chronic underfunding of transportation means such measures are always just around the corner.