BOSTON (State House News Service) – Boston Mayor Martin Walsh believes interest in three of the four ballot questions that will be decided Tuesday will drive labor voters to the polls and boost the Democratic ticket.
Walsh, a former state lawmaker and former executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council, told the News Service Tuesday morning that initiative petitions related to casino gambling, the gas tax and earned sick time are driving labor interest.
“That’s three big ballot questions going to mobilize labor to get out and campaign and there are also a lot of laborers with, the majority of laborers are with Martha Coakley and they’ve been working hard for that last month and a half, two months,” Walsh said.
This is Walsh’s first general election as mayor of Boston, a position often heralded as one of the most powerful in the state when it comes to getting the vote out.
“We have a good operation going on today, but ultimately, it comes down the voters and I think people give a lot of credit to elected officials for electing people. I can lend to a part of a victory, if we’re able to win,” Walsh said.
Secretary of State William Galvin, the state’s elections overseer, on Monday predicted roughly 2.2 million of the state’s roughly 4.3 million registered voters will cast ballots on Tuesday.
Walsh supported attorney general candidate Warren Tolman during his primary run against Maura Healey. With help from Walsh, Tolman edged Healey at the party’s convention in Worcester in June, before Healey trounced the Watertown Democrat in the September primary.
“In the Warren Tolman race, Maura Healey, you know, people say, ‘Well, Marty Walsh lost his first big race.’ Alright, but if we want to dissect it, Warren lost statewide I think by 20 percent and lost Boston by ten. Did that make a difference? I don’t know, but I certainly know we have a lot of people mobilized out there today in the field for Martha Coakley and we’re working hard,” Walsh said.
According to Walsh’s office, nearly 7 percent of registered voters in Boston had cast ballots in the two hours after polls opened at 7 a.m.
“Where is everybody?” Walsh asked a handful of campaign volunteers standing in front of Savin Hill precinct Tuesday before heading into the Christo Rey School just after 8 a.m. Walsh said there is usually a line at the polling station at that time of day.
Coakley visited Springfield Tuesday and a campaign aide said that in addition to her event there with U.S. Rep. Richard Neal she personally knocked on a few doors in search of additional votes.
Coakley’s campaign on Tuesday also added a public event to her schedule, a 2 p.m. appearance with Walsh at Santarpio’s in East Boston.
Republican Charlie Baker, who has led Coakley in recent polling, had planned to visit Santarpio’s Tuesday as well but changed his schedule and swapped in a visit to Holy Name Church in West Roxbury at 12:15 p.m. A Baker aide said Tuesday morning that Rep. Ed Coppinger (D-West Roxbury) plans to join Baker at that event.
Healey is scheduled at 12:15 p.m. to visit Santarpio’s for lunch with Sen. Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston).
Baker voted in Swampscott Tuesday morning and also planned election day campaign stops in Peabody and Dedham before setting up shop for the night at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.
[Michael Norton contributed reporting]
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