We have some pretty big Massachusetts political news bubbling up from the streets of Springfield, but first a quick word on Iowa. Willard Mitt Romney should have stayed away. Yes, he won by eight votes, but unlike the polls that raised up and slapped down anti-Romneys before, the effective tie Rick Santorum secured means Romney will be spending valuable time and money batting him away for weeks to come. Santorum has a heavy lift garnering money and supporters, but with Michele Bachmann out and Rick Perry effectively so, Romney will have to slog through a probable South Carolina loss and a possible a Florida defeat, too. By Michigan, he should be alright, but he will be damaged and he will still not be the best candidate to lead a fractured GOP into the general election.
Nevertheless, Democrats should remain nimble. They have spent a great deal of time sharpening their spears for Romney, but they should at least prepare for the unlikely possibility of a Santorum challenge, if for no other reason that he could be a possible Vice-Presidential nominee.
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| Councilor Melvin Edwards (Facebook) |
Now onto the local political fun. WMassP&I has confirmed that Springfield Ward 3 City Councilor Melvin Edwards will challenge James Welch in September's Democratic Primary. Sources close to councilor say he will make a formal announcement within a couple of weeks. Edwards was elected in 2009 in the city's first Ward elections in decades and was unopposed in November's municipal elections. He was sworn in Monday for another two year term.
Although Edwards's ward in 2009 featured meek turnout, he won with 62% of the vote. Since joining the council Edwards has usually been among the more fiscally vigilant bloc of the council. His ward, which includes the South End and Six Corners sustained heavy damage from the June tornado. Indeed, Edwards himself recounted his own harrowing experience during the twister at a council meeting following the storm. Edwards was among the early supporters of at-large Councilor Jimmy Ferrera's bid for council president which many saw as an attempt to smooth over their otherwise less than ducky relationship. Edwards has on more than one occasion sparred with Ferrera often to the latter's embarrassment.
The opportunity for Edwards to challenge Welch came about from redistricting. Seeking to avoid the embarrassing violations of the Voting Rights Act during redistricting after the 2000 census, Beacon Hill's redistricting committee significantly rebuilt Welch's district to make it minority-majority. Agawam was dropped from the district, while several minority portions of Springfield extending as far as Indian Orchard were brought in. Minority communities in Chicopee were also drawn into the district. Whiter parts of Springfield, particularly in Forest Park were deposited into Gale Candaras' District as well.
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