Keller @ Large: Top 2022 political stories in Massachusetts and what's to come in the new year
BOSTON – As is usually the case, it was busy year in Massachusetts politics.
With 2022 in the rearview mirror, WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller was joined by Katie Lannan of GBH and Matt Murphy of State House News Service to look back at the big stories of last year and preview what could be to come.
Lannan said her top story of 2022 was a host of immigration stories. Lawmakers passed new law allowing immigrants who are in the country illegally to obtain state driver's licenses, but Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed the measure. Later in the year, the House and Senate overrode the veto and voters opted to keep the law on Election Day.
Immigration was also at the forefront locally when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew a group of migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
Murphy's top story of 2022 was the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade because of the impact it had locally.
"While this was a huge national decision obviously and played out in the midterms, I think we saw this trickle down in a number of ways throughout Massachusetts both in elections here, down ballot legislative races we saw it playing out," he said. "It also further drove that wedge between Gov. Baker and the Massachusetts Republican party to the point where we saw losses across the board for Republicans. Really to the point where we're almost at one-party systems here in Massachusetts and the ramifications are going to be felt for years to come."
Looking ahead to 2023, Murphy's storyline to watch is the amount of money Beacon Hill has to spend and whether they will continue spreading it around or "pick a lane and try something big and transformative."
Lannan said she believes workforce shortages and staffing problems in industries like health care, early education and the T.
"I'm not sure how those overlapping and intersecting issues all get addressed, what the state can do, but I think it's something to watch in the year ahead," Lannan said.
Keller @ Large: Part 2