Cahill launches independent run for governor

Boston Globe ^ | September 9, 2009 | Andrea Estes and Andrew Ryan

[MinnesotaLibertarian]

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill today launched a challenge to Governor Deval Patrick as an independent candidate, vowing to cast aside entrenched partisan differences and "make the government we have work."

"I do not enter this race to run against any individual or party," Cahill said in a speech in a downtown hotel ballroom, standing before a black banner that proclaimed "Tim for Governor" in white letters. "Instead I run because I believe we need new leadership to make Massachusetts a vibrant place once again."

He vowed to make the state a place "where jobs grow and the economy rebounds. Where taxes are cut both to keep the state competitive and lessen the burden on the middle class. Where labor and business find common ground and unite to solve our economic process."

Cahill, a longtime Democrat who has served as treasurer since 2003, dropped out of the Democratic Party this summer after saying he had become disillusioned with its direction. He will compete against Republicans Charles D. Baker, a former executive at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and possibly convenience store magnate Christy Mihos.

With his experience at the local, county, and state levels, Cahill believes, he is the most qualified to run the state at a time of financial difficulty.

Though a private poll conducted by Cahill and a public poll commissioned by the Globe this summer showed he matches up well against the other candidates, he will face major hurdles running as a nonparty candidate, experts said.

[GonzoGOP]

Need info. Is this going to split the Republicans or the Democrats? Can you win governorship of NY with less than 50% of the vote or do they have to do a runoff?

[MinnesotaLibertarian]

Not sure. He’s an ex-Democrat, but left the party because they had become too economically liberal, so could go either way. He could also win outright rather than just be a splitter. This is Massachusetts, not New York, and I believe you can win there with just a plurality.

[Paine in the Neck]

Ah, the old-line kleptocracy rises in opposition to the new Marxist incompetent.

[Rodebrecht]

This is in Mass.

[GonzoGOP]

Thanks

[AbeKrieger]

I don’t live there, but I’d vote for a ball of sweatsocks over that mental midget that occupies the governor’s mansion right now.

[DM1]

This is going to help Deval
He is a Dem that went Indie because he could not run in the primary against Deval. People who dont like Deval but cannot stomach voting for an R will vote Cahill i can now see Deval winning with under 40% of the vote

[mowowie]

Will this split the Dem/Moonbat vote?

Maybe he’s a plant to insure a new Republican governor to take the heat off the dem/moonbat legislation.
In this state the whole place is run by moonbats but the blame for everything usually goes to the helpless Repub governor, which we don’t have at the moment.