The firm grasp Democrats hold on power in the Massachusetts Legislature seems unlikely to be loosened in the Nov. 6 election, with Republicans running fewer candidates than two years ago when the party scored modest gains at the Statehouse.
Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, R-Wakefield, left, newly-elected Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Springfield, and Sen. Michael Knapik, R-Westfield, take the oath of office in Senate Chambers at the Statehouse in Boston Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007, during the swearing-in ceremonies of the new Massachusetts legislature.
By BOB SALSBERG
Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — The firm grasp Democrats hold on power in the Massachusetts Legislature seems unlikely to be loosened in the Nov. 6 election, with Republicans running fewer candidates than two years ago when the party scored modest gains at the Statehouse.
Still heavily outnumbered in both branches, Republicans are on the ballot in less than half of the 160 House districts and 40 state Senate districts. That could make it a struggle for the party to add clout on Beacon Hill in the two-year session starting in January.
Republicans hold 33 seats in the House and a scant four in the Senate. Their low numbers make it difficult, often impossible, for Republican lawmakers to accomplish tasks such as pushing legislation to the floor, attaching amendments, forcing roll call votes and challenging procedural rulings by Democratic leaders.
Still, GOP leaders see hope for gaining seats, targeting several districts that were redrawn during the latest round of redistricting and that contain sizable numbers of conservative-leaning independent voters. They even hold out the possibility of knocking off one of the state's most powerful Democrats, Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth.
Republicans have pointed to the ongoing patronage scandal in the state probation department as an example of abuses that can arise under one-party domination.
Democrats, conversely, are counting on a strong turnout of their base in a presidential election year and have targeted several freshmen Republicans for defeat.
The GOP doubled its presence in the House two years ago, a bright spot in an otherwise dismal state election for Republicans that saw a Democratic sweep of congressional and statewide races.
"For too long, there's been too much of a dominant one-party system where checks and balances have broken down," said Peter Blute, deputy chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. "People are starting to realize in Massachusetts ... you have to have some balance."
This year there are 69 Republicans, including 29 incumbents, vying for seats in the House, down from 79 in 2010. In the Senate, Republicans are on the ballot in only 16 races, including the four with GOP incumbents, a drop from two years ago when the GOP fielded 26 Senate hopefuls.
The state Democratic party has tried to turn the tables on the integrity issue by launching a website that purports to show a variety of ethics violations involving GOP incumbents and candidates around the state. Democratic also have sought to link some freshmen Republicans to the most conservative elements of their party.
"They represent a brand of right-wing, tea party values," said John Walsh, state Democratic party chairman. "You're seeing Democrats in those districts pushing forward on issues such as local aid and issues that people really care about."
Murray, the first woman to preside over the Senate, is again facing a spirited challenge from Tom Keyes, a business consultant and former Sandwich selectmen.
In 2010, Keyes lost to Murray by about 3,600 votes out of more than 76,000 cast in the election.
During a recent debate on WATD-FM, Keyes took Murray to task for sometimes deciding the fate of legislation in closed-door caucuses and for allowing the Legislature to remain exempt from the state's open meeting law.
"When I get up there, I am going to propose a rules change so we can have the transparency that the public is really looking for," he said.
Keyes also tied Murray to the ongoing probation department investigation. Federal indictments returned against three former probation officials referenced Murray as being among the lawmakers sponsoring candidates who were hired over more qualified applicants.
Murray has not been accused of wrongdoing and said during the debate she was surprised Keyes would question her ethics. She also said the Senate always does its work out in the open.
"We are extremely transparent in the Senate. We have passed campaign finance reform, transportation reform, court reform and municipal health care reform, all in the public eye," she said.
For Republicans, electing more members to the Legislature also helps the party groom future candidates for higher office. They point to Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who served 12 years on Beacon Hill before winning the special election to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Likening it to baseball players in the minor leagues, Blute said legislators learn about fundraising, networking, dealing with the media and other subtleties of politics.
"We have too many first-time candidates for higher office, and they struggle," he said.