Which Democrat Wins the Massachusetts Primary? [OPINION]
We are less than a year away from the presidential primary in Massachusetts. There will be no GOP contest. Who will win the Democratic primary here?
Massachusetts is a solidly blue state. It is unlikely Donald Trump will win here over whoever the Democrats nominate for president. This solid blue status reduces all of the political action to the March 2020 primary contest.
Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is running against Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Weld was a good governor and he was overwhelmingly re-elected by the voters in 1994. The last time Weld won an election was almost 25 years ago.
Moving on to the Democrats.
Fort Bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg just received the endorsement of State Senator Michael Rodrigues. The senator represents the greater Fall River area in a district that is a mix of city, suburbs, and rural territory. He also serves as the chairman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee and he is well regarded by his fellow elected officials.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has to do well in her home state of Massachusetts or she will have to reconsider her reason for being in the race. Similarly, Congressman Seth Moulton has to have a strong showing at home.
In 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont nearly beat Hilliary Clinton in Massachusetts. He might have won if Bill Clinton hadn't come to the Bay State on election day and personally campaigned at polling places for his wife.
Bernie has to do well here or he will look like he has lost support. Lots of his Massachusetts supporters are still angry with the election day stunt pulled by the Clintons and the lessons they learned about the fixing of the primary from the hacked emails on the DNC. Without the intervention of the Russians in 2016, Bernie and company still wouldn't know the Clintons and the DNC fixed the election against Bernie.
Vice President Joe Biden has strong institutional support among activists in the Democrat Party in Massachusetts. He was here to campaign alongside striking Stop & Shop workers recently. He also benefits from a crowded field and the field will likely be crowded still by the opening of March 2020.
One of the people to watch in Massachusetts is newly-elected Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Boston. She is the first African American woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts and she has made a progressive splash in Washington. Her endorsement would be extremely valuable to any Democrat running in 2020.
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.