The primary votes have been cast and counted, and I’d say one word sums up my feelings about this historic election season.
“Whew!”
Said exclamation is not just one of relief that the campaign is over, but at the realization that the voters of Franklin County made the best possible choices in the contested Democratic primaries for the House and Senate.
First, let’s get the name right. It’s pronounced “blay,” not “blaze,” although it probably should be the latter, because that’s exactly what Natalie Blais did in dusting a seven-candidate field to win the right to succeed Steve Kulik in the House of Representatives this January.
“I learned a lot in this campaign, but the thing I learned the most is how extraordinary this district is,” Blais said. “I feel incredibly fortunate that the voters have placed their trust in me.”
As chaotic as the numbers sometimes made it, a lot of good things came out of this primary, including the emergence of a lot of good new political blood. Casey Pease, Christine Doktor, and Kate Albright-Hanna were absolute finds, whom we are likely to hear from again, while Francia Wisnewski’s somewhat surprising second place finish indicates how much she has grown as a candidate and as a future political force to be reckoned with.
From the beginning, Blais struck me as the most complete player in the race. In addition to her governmental experience and understanding of the issues, there was a credibility and gravitas there that just didn’t seem as present in her opponents.
Blais also showed that she could take a punch, especially late in the campaign when she got hit with charges of not being in favor of funding public schools while supposedly favoring large scale biomass.
Pitches in the dirt like that can be tough to avoid, but Blais’ ability to pull back and not take it personally makes me think she’ll be able to avoid the same type of trapdoors when she makes history in January by becoming the first woman to ever sit in that seat.
I didn’t have much of a chance to comment on Comerford’s candidacy while I was on the sidelines, but I was thrilled when I learned she had decided to jump in as a write-in.
I had a chance to get to know Comerford a bit when she headed up the National Priorities Project. I was an upstart talk show host looking to make some noise in the Northampton market, and she would come on my show from time to time to talk issues.
I used to love talking to Comerford, because she was someone you disagree with and still be friendly afterward — a trait I think we’d all would agree is sometimes missing in what passes for public discourse these days.
I thought she’d make a great senator, but didn’t think she had a prayer as a write-in, especially with a candidate’s name on the printed ballot. What I didn’t bank on was how solid her campaign’s ground game was, and the diverse level of support she would attract.
I found the latter especially surprising, because in almost any other year, Comeford might have been viewed as more of a fringe, far left candidate. But in this field, she looked almost centrist, which allowed her to pull in votes, money and logistical support from establishment politicos like the Merrigans, Northwestern DA Dave Sullivan, and former Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins, among others.
Another thing working in Comerford’s favor were her opponents. Steve Connor wound up being a non-factor, which was surprising, given the amount of work he’s done on behalf of area veterans. Ryan O’Donnell had good policy chops, but didn’t seem to connect with voters.
My problem with O’Donnell was not ability as much as ambition. The guy went from a ward councilor to at-large to Northampton City Council president in only a couple of years. He flirted briefly with running for Peter Kocot’s seat before settling on the Senate write-in campaign, which I think created the impression, fair or not, that he was more interested getting a gig than doing the people’s business.
And then there was Chelsea Kline, the aforementioned name on the ballot, who had the foresight this past spring to take out papers to challenge Stan Rosenberg at a time when he still looked all but unbeatable.
When Rosenberg resigned, it appeared Kline would all but walk into the seat, and it might have happened had Comeford not come along.
Though she seemed personable enough, I don’t believe Kline left the impression she was ready for the job. Also, some of her positions scared the hell out of certain people, especially establishment Democrats more interested in representation than activism.
It is that principle above all that I believe allowed both Blais and Comerford to separate themselves from their respective packs, and give them the opportunity to step into the enormous shoes of a couple of guys who dedicated the bulk of their lives to representing an area of the commonwealth desperately in need of it.
It won’t be easy, but I believe they will be equal to the task, because this time, the voters made the right call, even though it may have taken a little doing to get there.