Today around six thousand Democratic activists and organizers will meet in Worcester DCU center for the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s annual convention. Those convention delegates are elected at local caucuses, appointed by the Democratic State Committee, or given a vote at the convention because they hold or held a elected or Democratic party office. Technically, the purpose of the convention is to confer the state party’s endorsement on candidates for statewide office. In practice, though, the function of the convention is to weed out candidates whose campaigns are too weak to win the votes of at least 15% of the delegates who show up.
Steve Kerrigan and Maura Healey are vying to make history this year as the country’s first LGBT Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, respectively. If either of them receive more than half of the votes at the convention today, they could also make history by becoming the first LGBT candidates for state wide office endorsed by the Massachusetts Democratic Party — Massachusetts Republicans have previously endorsed two LGBT candidates for state wide office – but that doesn’t seem likely.
Convention delegates are not your average Democratic voter. These aren’t the people who call you during dinner to try to convince you to vote for their favorite candidate. These are the people who call you during dinner to ask you to volunteer to call other people to convince them to vote for their favored candidate. It’s also, by and large, a group of people who have some connection to insider Democratic politics and, for different reasons, that is a handicap to both Kerrigan and Healey.
Among Kerrigan’s competitors for Lt. Gov. is a long-time party activist named Mike Lake. For years, Lake has attended every committee meeting, office opening, canvas kick-off, campaign rally and annual barbecue that he could possibly fit into his schedule. He hugs. He listens. He schmoozes and the party faithful love him.
Also in the running for the number two spot is Cambridge City Councilor Leland Cheung. Despite his previous dabbling Republicanism, Cheung has a solid progressive record and his home turf is some of the most organized in the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Put Lake and Cheung together and Steve Kerrigan has some tough competition in a room of party faithful.
Maura Healey’s campaign has picked up steam in recent weeks and she will make a respectable showing today. Healey’s opponent is former state senator Warren Tolman. In addition to being the brother of the head of the state AFL-CIO, Tolman has been immersed in Democratic politics for a very long time. It also happens that Tolman has been a strong ally to the LGBT community and has always been ahead of the curve in the push for equality. Deep party connection, and a record that undercuts Healey’s chief accomplishment, make Tolman the favorite to win the endorsement.
Even if the numbers don’t pan out at for LGBT candidates at the convention today, Healey and Kerrigan won’t be wounded. The rigorous process of preparing for the convention has left their campaigns muscular and smarter. When the pool of voters is widening from Democratic activists to all Democratic Primary voters, Kerrigan’s resume and Healey’s trailblazing biography will become a much bigger political asset than they are likely to be today.
