< MA > Boston (H-3rd Suffolk)

According to a recent news report, the powerful Speaker of the House in the Massachusetts state legislature is stepping down. This is huge.

Power Vacuum

In addition to creating a vacant seat in the MA State House, it also creates a power vacuum at the top of this legislative body. Another news article on the subject says that that the Speaker held such sway over his party that each member averaged only one opposing vote for every 40 bills. Now they are free to make up their own minds, so to speak.

A Worthy Candidate?

Of course this means there will be a special election to fill the MA 3rd Suffolk House district, which encompasses a densley populated area of downtown Boston. We currently have about a half dozen potential campaign volunteers in the immediate area. The first question is whether there will be a candidate that's worthy of their support.

History Lesson

If this is like most other urban districts, it's almost certain that it will be an easy victory for the historically dominant party. That's what the experts said about Virginia's special election for the 46th House district.

But in part due to one solitary biker couple who helped the pro-freedom underdog, the Virginia special election came down to just 16 votes. And the results are still uncertain since the close margin triggered an automatic recount. (Update: Recount completed.)

Massachusetts Campaign Volunteers

Assuming there is a MA 3rd Suffolk candidate worth supporting, no one yet knows whether nearby campaign volunteers will rise to the challenge. These potential volunteers are just that ... potential. Unlike biker activists in Oregon and Virginia, they haven't had the chance to prove themselves.

Perhaps that chance is coming. We'll update you if news becomes newsworthy.