Massachusetts Democratic Presidential Primary Politics [OPINION]

The Massachusetts primary is getting more interesting and important with the announcements of more candidates jumping into the race for president.

The Commonwealth will hold its presidential primary on March 3, 2020, and most of the action will be among the Democrats. There is a chance that Bill Weld, the former Republican Governor of Massachusetts, will get a bit of the vote against President Trump, but not enough to win his home state and maybe so small of a vote to embarrass himself.

The stakes on the Democratic side will be serious. Elizabeth Warren, the senior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts is running strong now, but a loss at home could be devastating for her. Former Governor Deval Patrick is already facing an uphill battle with his late entry and losing in the state that twice elected him would be a death blow.

The former Mayor of New York City and current billionaire Michael Bloomberg was born in Massachusetts, and fellow billionaire candidate Tom Steyer has hired Doug Rubin to assist him in his bid for the Oval Office. Rubin knows Massachusetts as well or better than most political operatives and he proved it with his successful work for both Gov. Patrick and Sen. Warren.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has deep roots in the world of Massachusetts politics; he has been around since the 1970s and he has campaigned here for decades. Recently, the Biden campaign announced an impressive list of Bay State Democrats who support him as the candidate to topple Trump. The list includes South Boston Congressman Stephen Lynch, former Lt. Gov. Tommy O'Neill, State Representative Christopher Markey, and State Representative Christopher Hendricks.

Reps. Markey and Hendricks both represent the city of New Bedford and surrounding suburbs. Four years ago, the city of New Bedford was so important in the Democratic Party primary the Clinton campaign sent their most important asset, former President Bill Clinton, to the city on election day. The visit by the former president helped his wife squeak out a victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders in Massachusetts.

Sanders still has a wealth of support in his neighboring state and the resources to compete against the other front runners in the primary.

Sometimes primaries aren't worth much attention, but that isn't the case this year.

This is a great time to be an activist in the Massachusetts Democratic party.

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.