When I lived in Boston, I had a friendly ‘argument’ about voting for Ted Kennedy with a co-worker. He said he would be voting for Kennedy in the Dem Primary simply because Kennedy would do lots for Massachusetts if he were President. Then he said ‘you would vote for John Anderson because you used to live in Illinois, right?’. I said no. I thought it was a ridiculous reason to vote for someone. The Kennedys OWNED Massachusetts. I once saw Teddy marching in a ‘Rose’ Parade....a parade to honor his mother on her 100th birthday. He was sweating like a pig.....he shouldn’t have worn a light blue shirt that day.
The Kennedy mystique in Massachusetts is nothing more than pride in thinking Boston and its environs are the Hub of the Universe. Bostonians have internalized that myth and
The rise of JFK and Camelot solidified the myth of Bostonian intellectual and cultural elitism. The legends of Tom Brady, Bobby Orr, and Bob Cousy also played a part.
One thing I'll observe about Ted Kennedy's style is he would repeat the name of the state to reinforce State pride. At one key speech he declared, "I'll not forget you Massachusetts!"
Trump is very effective, too, at using the State's name or City's name as a way to stir up pride at his rallies. It's an age old technique that continues to add votes.