The lieutenant governor debate is a cheat sheet for the whole race
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Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.
Before GOP nominee for lieutenant governor Shawn Oliver suspended his campaign Sunday, the most interesting thing in this year's LG race was the single debate held last week.
Why it matters: The debate captured the ins and outs of the governor's race better than the top-of-ticket matchup.
- This race is about voters' satisfaction — or lack of — with the job Gov. Maura Healey has done for the last four years.
- It'll also measure if there's any appetite in the electorate these days for a more conservative approach to running the state, or for a Republican who has supported President Trump.
- The LG debate gave insight on all of that, and the issues people are unsatisfied about, in a neat 30-minute package.
The latest: Oliver suspended his campaign hours after being charged with drunken driving following a Saturday night crash in New Bedford.
- Police say his vehicle hit five parked cars and overturned. He's due in court Monday.
- Running mate Mike Minogue had publicly urged Oliver to step aside. Oliver's name will remain on the ballot.
Catch up quick: Massachusetts lieutenant governors don't have much power on paper, but they have a habit of moving up, or at least trying to.
- Paul Cellucci took over in 1997 when William Weld resigned.
- Jane Swift was left as governor in 2001 when Cellucci became ambassador to Canada.
- LGs can also wield as much soft power within an administration as their boss will allow them.
State of play: Democratic Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll met Oliver on GBH News Boston Public Radio on Tuesday for their single debate.
The big picture: Driscoll ran the same playbook Healey used against Minogue in their debates this month.
- She repeatedly framed the race as a defense of Massachusetts against Trump administration policies and defended the state's PROTECT Act, which limits immigration enforcement in places like schools and hospitals.
- Oliver argued that coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement would prevent disorderly neighborhood arrests and some of the violence seen around other ICE actions.
Reality check: The Healey-Driscoll pitch rests on housing, economic development and standing up to Washington. Results have been mixed, but polling suggests voters are very willing to give the pair another term to figure it out.
- A record housing bond bill and as-of-right accessory dwelling units are key Healey victories she and Driscoll want to expand on.
Yes, but: Housing and energy costs remain a burden for many residents, and critics like Oliver and Minogue point to residents leaving the state over affordability.
Between the lines: Oliver and Minogue are a ticket by circumstance.
- After he won the primary and his own running mate dropped out, Minogue was paired with Oliver for November.
- The team didn't agree on some issues, most notably abortion. Oliver called himself a pro-choice Republican at the debate, while Minogue opposes expanding abortion rights.
- Both say they would leave current state law in place.
The bottom line: Before the crash, Oliver and Minogue pitched a fiscal rethink, with some visible daylight between them.
- Voters weighing the tops of the ticket got a preview of the same argument from their No. 2s.
- With Oliver out of the race, the more conservative Minogue is left carrying his campaign alone.