In Memoriam
King Is Dead
Ed King was Ronald Reagan's favorite Democratic governor, and he made the election of serious Republican governors a distinct possibility in Massachusetts.
(Page 2 of 2)
A similar formula worked for Mitt Romney in 2002. He ran to the right of Shannon O’Brien on taxes, spending, capital punishment and — although he was pro-choice — even abortion. Romney scored the fourth consecutive GOP gubernatorial win.
Here our happy tale may come to a sad end. Romney isn’t running for reelection. The GOP coalition is fractured, with former Republican Christy Mihos running as an independent. Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey is trying to run on the familiar platform, but her personal qualities make her a poor fit for Ed King Democrats. The polls show Massachusetts ready to elect Deval Patrick, a Dukakis liberal, to the governorship by a landslide margin.
The issues that appeal to Democrats and independents who pulled the GOP lever in the last four governor’s contests are still there, and Bay State conservatives have survived rough patches before. It would be easier to be optimistic, however, if there were signs of effective leaders waiting in the wings.
Ed King died a Republican. It doesn’t look like he’ll be the Massachusetts party’s only loss.
About the Author
W. James Antle, III, author of the new book Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?, is editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation and a senior editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jimantle.
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