Deb Goldberg in Belmont

On Tuesday, I infiltrated the Belmont Democratic Town Committee to see Lieutenant Governor Candidate Deborah Goldberg and Gubernatorial Candidate Deval Patrick. Patrick was impressive as always, and the room was packed by the time he started his talk. Goldberg was on before him and I had not seen her speak since the May convention, so I was interested to see what she has to offer. She spent the bulk of her time talking about local issues, which was a bit of a contrast from the other candidates. She drew heavily on her experiences as a Selectman in Brookline. That's a good way, I think, to make a quick connection with people who are involved in local politics -- DTC members, perhaps. As of last week, Goldberg was the only LG candidate who spoke the language of local government.

Of course, now that Worcester Mayor Tim Murray is in the LG race, that advantage disappears. Who's a better voice for Massachusetts cities and towns? A former Selectman from Brookline or the Mayor of the state's second biggest city? Sure, a city like Worcester has different concerns than many of the Commonwealth's smaller towns, but the big issues -- crime, development, budgeting -- are similar throughout Massachusetts. My hunch is that Murray's entry into the race pushes Goldberg from the candidate with local experience to the candidate who can self fund. Sometimes that's enough, particularly for a low-profile/low-stakes race like LG, but I'm sure Goldberg would rather be known for her experience than her pocketbook.

It's definitely too early to make any predictions on the Lieutenant Governor's race. The field is crowded with candidates that have little by the way of statewide name recognition, and there's always the chance that the gubernatorial candidates will make their favorites known. It will be interesting to see which of them has the best caucus organization come February to ensure a place on the ballot.