Monday, February 13, 2006

Festa Drops Out of DA Race

If, like me, you spent most of the weekend outside with a shovel, then you may not know that on Saturday, Rep. Mike Festa has withdrawn from the Middlesex DA race. I can understand why, since he got a late start on fundraising and was significantly behind both Sen. Jarrett Barrios and Gerry Leone who remain in the race. Not only that, but it seemed as though he was competing for the same voters as Barrios and that, I'm sure, made fundraising all the more difficult. Festa will instead run for reelection.

Both the Barrios and Leone campaigns released statements yesterday. Here is the Barrios statement:

"Representative Festa has long been a leading progressive voice in the Legislature and in his community. The support he received throughout Middlesex County proves that. In the Legislature I have been honored to work with him for marriage equality, affordable prescription drugs and crime prevention initiatives. In his new role as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Board of Directors, I know Representative Festa will continue to be an active voice in our state for sensible criminal justice policy. I look forward to working with him to make our communities safer."
And here is the statement from the Leone campaign:
"I applaud Mike on the spirited campaign he built and his contributions to his community as a committed and dedicated legislator and attorney. I hope Mike will continue to apply his talents, in ably and effectively representing his district as an impassioned voice for the communities of Melrose and Wakefield. Mike's efforts in the state house and his legislative contributions to criminal justice policy on both a local and national level are to be commended and, as the next District Attorney for Middlesex County, I would be eager to build a working partnership with him in the spirit of keeping our communities safe."
Today's Globe has a story on the DA's race that's a good summary of the contest as it stands today.