OPINION | Chris McCarthy: Democrats Losing Momentum in Mass

Setti Warren has quit the race to be the next Democrat Governor of Massachusetts and that is bad for his party, because he was their front-runner.

Massachusetts is one of the best places for Democrats to run for office. It is also one of the top places in the country for Democrats to raise money for their campaigns. All the candidates who run for President make sure they have a fundraising operation in Massachusetts, because the locals are extremely generous.

Warren, the former mayor of the city of Newton, cited his inability to raise money as the main factor in his decision to leave the race. He worked in the Clinton White House and for U.S. Senator John Kerry. He dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in 2012 to give the nomination to Elizabeth Warren. With those political connections, it seems like raising money would have been the last thing to get in his way.

Setti Warren was the first combat veteran to run for Governor in decades in the Commonwealth. He served in the Navy and was deployed to Iraq in 2007 to work in intelligence.

Now there are two candidates left seeking the Democrat party nomination to take on Gov. Charlie Baker in November. Setti was raising more money than either of his two opponents, so they may be forced to quit soon, too.

This was supposed to be a big year for Democrats across the country. President Trump is particularly unpopular in Massachusetts. It might turn out that the voters aren't any more predictable this year than they were in 2016 when Hillary was supposed to win in a landslide.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.