Keller @ Large: Gomez Needs A Lot Of Work, Luck To Beat Markey
BOSTON (CBS) - What happened Tuesday in Massachusetts politics?
In a way, it was just the latest chapter of an old story.
For more than two decades, in spite of the occasional Republican governor sneaking past security, ours has been arguably the bluest state of them all, to the point where you realized there weren't two parties anymore in any realistic sense.
Instead, there are two camps – the political insiders, and the political outsiders.
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Keller at Large May 1 2013
Even as Democrats consolidated their lock on all major elective offices, the outsiders have been making inroads. Deval Patrick was about as far outside the Democratic Party power structure as you could get back in 2005 when he started running for governor; when he won the primary, he bellowed to the crowd: "Let them hear you on Beacon Hill!"
And even though Elizabeth Warren was fully embraced by the insiders, she's another example of someone with no campaign experience rising quickly to the top.
Now, it's Gabriel Gomez's turn.
His victory in the GOP primary Tuesday was a clear win for the outsiders. But he's outnumbered, big-time; the total number of votes cast for all three Republican candidates was less than Stephen Lynch's losing total.
And while Ed Markey is surely a consummate insider, he's also a seasoned politician with the backing of the most effective and well-organized political machine in our state's history.
The insiders rule here for a reason – they know where the votes are and how to get them out, and that is the name of the game.
So can Gomez pull a Scott Brown and score another upset for the outsiders?
It's happened before, but it'll take a lot of work and luck to make it happen again.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
