Roundup: Neal trouncing challengers in money race; Herr, Lamb trade charges

Continuing their look at the finances of candidates for Congress in Central Massachusetts, the Telegram reported Wednesday that Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) had nearly $3 million in his bank account at the end of the most recent filing period, far outpacing the two Republicans vying for the nomination to oppose him in November.

According to Federal Election Commision reports, Jay Fleitman (R-Northampton) had a little over $54,000 remaining, putting the physician at a 48-to-1 disadvantage to Neal. Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale) had even less money to spend, reporting under $27,000 in available cash. The sum is more than 111 times less than Neal has banked.

Both candidates have heavily self-financed, with Fleitman loaning his campaign over $73,000 and Wesley lending around $33,000 to his effort.

One of the best ways to cope with a lack of funds is through free media, and both Fleitman and Wesley have taken advantage of the opportunities over the last few days. On Tuesday, the two appeared on Channel 22 in Springfield for a televised debate.

Wesley appeared on WHYN-AM Radio in Springfield to talk about his campaign.

Fleitman also did a radio gig, speaking with Bax and O'Brien on WAQY-FM.

The Springfield Republican previewed the race between Fleitman and Wesley, anointing Fleitman as the "higher profile" candidate.

Neal visited manufacturing facilities in Webster and Spencer, talking to employees and entrepreneurs about jobs and international competition.

Third Congressional District
The big news in the Third District was also about campaign finance, but instead of discussing how much was raised, two of the GOP candidates for the nomination were sniping back and forth about House ethics and FEC rules violations. From the MetroWest Daily News:

With less than a week before the primary, two Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District race exchanged broadsides yesterday, accusing each other with not following election rules.


The dispute between Brian Herr of Hopkinton and Marty Lamb of Holliston stems from Herr's failure to meet a May deadline for turning in a financial disclosure form listing personal income, assets and liabilities. The snag was first publicized by the Daily News, not Lamb's campaign.

The dispute has devolved into a nice bit of schoolyard taunting:

"I am very disappointed that Mr. Herr would blatantly attempt to mislead voters, but it seems to be a pattern with him," Lamb spokesman Shane Hayes said in the statement.

Herr said his campaign would not have mentioned the filings had Lamb not repeatedly raised the tardy financial disclosure form.

"The issue here is people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks," he said.

The Telegram and Worcester Magazine have more. CMassPolitics.com posted both Herr's and Lamb's press releases on Wednesday.

One candidate who hopes the voters send both candidates to detention is Michael Stopa (R-Holliston). Stopa has been making the rounds on local radio, touting his platform yesterday on WCRN-AM's Peter Blute Show and speaking this morning with WTAG's Jim Polito.

Fifth Congressional District
The Lowell Sun rounds up the voting records of the four Republican candidates for the seat currently held by Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell). While earlier coverage had focused on Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) and his eight-and-a-half year refusal to even register to vote, the Sun's piece points out that most of the other candidates also have their gaps:

...Westford's Tom Weaver was the only one of the four Republican candidates to vote in the October 2007 special election that sent Tsongas to Congress to replace former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, who resigned to become chancellor of UMass Lowell.

"I think your public history matters, and that's comprised of voting record, community service and involvement and where you've worked," Weaver said. "People have to put whatever weight they feel is important on that, but I've been saying, tongue-in-cheek, that I'm the only candidate who has been running against Niki Tsongas since 2007."

Golnik, Sam Meas of Haverhill and Robert Shapiro of Andover all failed to vote in that special election that gave Tsongas her first electoral victory by just 6 percentage points over Republican Jim Ogonowski of Dracut.

Tsongas is scheduled to be a guest on Channel 5's "On the Record" Sunday morning. Portions of the interview have been made available online. 
 
First Congressional District
Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) touted the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in a visit to North Adams, saying the economy needs more stimulus spending in the near future to continue recovery.
 
A post on the liberal site Firedoglake.com touts Michael Engel (U-Southampton) as a "True Activist Progressive Leftist" and says he "is a true grassroots reformer, a democratic socialist in the mold of Bernie Sanders."

Thursday Roundup: Out of Afghanistan

Third Congressional District Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) was in Attleboro yesterday, where he  served ice cream and called for President Barack Obama to end the war in Afghanistan. From the Sun-Chronicle:

The congressman said the Afghan government is corrupt, that it stuffed ballot boxes during the last election and that Americans should not die to prop it up.

The billions of dollars being spent on nation building in Afghanistan could be put to better use domestically, he said.

"We need to bring this war to an end and start investing in jobs at home," he said.

Roads, bridges and schools are being built in Afghanistan with American taxpayer money, he said. McGovern said America can better protect itself by striking at al-Qaeda throughout the world with a "lean, mean, fighting machine," rather than by occupying Afghanistan.

Challenger Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton) unveiled his second radio ad of the cycle, touting himself as the best person to "put the brakes" on Washington spending. No word on if the sound of brakes in the background was recorded while he was jaywalking in a recent Web video.

Elsewhere...
 
Fifth Congressional District
Fallout from the revelation that Jon Golnik was arrested for DUI following an AC/DC concert nine years ago continued. The Eagle-Tribune suveyed local political analysts who believe that Golnik's record of not voting for eight-and-a-half years may have more of an effect on his campaign than his old arrest. 
 
Jim Peters, brother-in-law of Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell), checks in from the campaign trail with a post at RichardHowe.com.
 
First Congressional District
John Olver (D-Amherst) outlined the biggest difference between his approach to economic recovery and those of his opponents in an interview with the Berkshire Eagle:

"Tax-cutting is the least efficient way of to have an impact upon the economy," he said. "The things that have the greatest impact are those which are immediately spent like food stamps ... and unemployment compensation."

Olver also predicted Democrats will keep control of both houses of Congress in the November election.

Congressional Roundup: Niki Tsongas? "Voters hate her."

The four Republicans running for the chance to defeat Fifth Congressional District Rep. Niki Tsongas attacked her repeatedly in a debate in Methuen Monday night. From the Lowell Sun:

METHUEN -- The four Republican candidates running for 5th Congressional District didn't do much to put distance between themselves during a debate last night....

"Voters hate her," said candidate Robert Shapiro of Andover during a debate last night hosted by the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence. "I think any one of the four of us has a decent shot."

Along with Shapiro, candidates Jon Golnik of Carlisle, Sam Meas of Haverhill and Tom Weaver of Westford tried to set themselves apart from the competition. They agree on several issues, such as the deficit being too high, job growth being low and government spending leading to problems.

The Eagle-Tribune has more on the debate. They have also posted video of the forum on their site (although I haven't been able to get it to play).

Third Congressional District
The symbolic issue du jour led the Telegram's coverage of a Congressional forum held in Worcester yesterday. Each of the candidates who attended the taping of Charter TV's "Hank Stolz Experience" weighed in on the proposed Islamic Center a few blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center in Manhattan:

Candidate Michael P. Stopa of Holliston said he suspects terrorists would use the center to plot attacks. He said he wouldn't oppose construction if he knew the mosque would be under FBI surveillance once it opened.

“If violence is being planned, we have a right to defend ourselves,” he said this afternoon at a taping of “The Hank Stolz Experience” on Charter TV3. All five Republican candidates for the district were invited to the forum; four attended.

Brian J. Herr of Hopkinton immediately disagreed with Mr. Stopa, saying there is no need to spy on a house of worship. But Mr. Herr opposes the plan to build the Islamic center because he feels it is insensitive to 9-11 families and to people who live and work near ground zero.

Robert A. Delle of Paxton, formerly of Westboro, said he was concerned about something bigger — the growth of Islam.

MetroWest Daily News columnist Rick Holmes calls out Delle and fellow candidate Robert Chipman (R-Holliston) for their contention that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim:

Anyone who says Obama is a Muslim is either ignorant or unprincipled. Either they don't know the truth, or truth means nothing to them.

The Telegram also caught up with Herr, who has admitted to twice missing campaign finance reporting deadlines. As could be expected, the missing forms earned a slap from the McGovern campaign.

First Congressional District
John Olver (D-Amherst) joined HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Gov. Deval Patrick to announce a $24 million project to renovate Gardner's former Heywood-Wakefield factory into an assisted-living facility.

Friday Roundup: Lamb's voting record in question

Unless something breaks this afternoon, this will be the last update of a busy week of campaigning. Let's start in the Third Congressional District, where Martin Lamb (R-Holliston) got the full treatment from the Telegram this morning. Lamb told reporter Priyanka Dayal that he'd finally had enough:

I got sick and tired of yelling at the TV and preaching to all of my friends and family and decided it was just time to get off my couch and take some action,” he said, explaining why he is running for Congress.

The report also claims that "In previous elections, Mr. Lamb says he has almost always voted Republican, but he conceded he didn’t vote for Ronald Reagan the first time Mr. Reagan ran for president." That does not jive with an earlier Telegram report. Last month, Shaun Sutner reported that Lamb "voted as a Democrat in state and presidential primary elections in 2006, 2004 and 2000."

The earlier story also reported that Lamb "said he has since 1976 voted for Republicans for president in the general election." That would contradict the statement in today's paper that Lamb did not vote for Reagan in his first run for president, unless Lamb was referencing Reagan's primary run in 1976, when Lamb would have been 19 years old.

Elsewhere in the district, Michael Stopa (R-Holliston) has been touting some of his one-liners from the GOP debate Wednesday in Shrewsbury:

"Later, [Stopa] got the biggest laugh of the night when he said that Massachusetts, unlike Arizona, doesn't have to worry about protecting its borders except perhaps with Rhode Island...To make sure "Patches" Kennedy doesn't sneak in."

I'm not sure Stopa will be the next host of Saturday Night Live, but apparently he does have a knack for radio, as he was featured on WCRN-AM's Mike Wade Show last Saturday.

The incumbent was also making news Thursday. Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Newton) announced that they will file a provision in Congress to ban the construction of a liquid natural gas terminal proposed for Fall River.

First Congressional District
Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) was in Pittsfield to announce a $1.25 million grant to aid the completion of the Streetscape Project.

Second Congressional District
Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale) spoke Wednesday night at a Tea Party forum in Holden. The former Navy aviator told the crowd that "I didn't blink with the Russians and I'm not going to blink with Nancy Pelosi."

First Worcester House District
Worcester County Sheriff
House candidate Kim Ferguson (R-Holden) and Sheriff candidate Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) also spoke at the Tea Party event.

11th Worcester House District
Kevin Byrne (D-Shrewsbury) formally kicked off his campaign Wednesday night.

18th Worcester District
Rep. Jennifer Callahan (D-Sutton) and challenger Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) each weighed in on Bellingham's restrictive lawn sign ordinance.

Thursday Congressional Roundup: Immigration dominates debate

Four of the five challengers for the Third Congressional District seat held by Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) squared off last night in a Shrewsbury debate. The forum, sponsored by the Shrewsbury League of Women Voters, gave Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton), Michael Stopa (R-Holliston), Martin Lamb (R-Holliston), and Robert Delle (R-Paxton) a chance to differentiate themselves from each other, however slightly. One area where there was both some consensus and disagreement was on immigration policy, as reported in the Telegram:

Though they all oppose amnesty, the candidates differed somewhat in their views on illegal immigration. Mr. Herr and Mr. Lamb both said the borders need to be secured, with the help of the U.S. military. They said existing laws need to be enforced to make the country unattractive to illegal immigrants.

Mr. Lamb went a step further, saying employers should be fined or charged for hiring illegal immigrants. He also believes citizenship should not be a birthright for children born to illegal immigrants.

Mr. Stopa voiced strong support for Arizona's new immigration law and said other states should be allowed to pass such laws. “I think we should send 12 million illegal aliens back to their home countries,” he said.

As a lawyer, Mr. Delle said, he has represented hundreds of illegal immigrants.

He said the illegal immigration problem has been overstated, and that people who live in the country illegally are not stealing jobs that citizens and legal residents would want.

Delle, who has lived in Westboro, Wayland, and now Paxton in the last year, also remarked that he was the best candidate because he doesn't "need a GPS to get around here." The article doesn't mention if the remark was serious or self-deprecating, but if he was joking about his frequent moves...well, that's funny.

While the Republicans were slugging it out, McGovern was discussing food stamp policy and other subjects on the Callie Crossley show on WGBH-FM.
 
Fifth Congressional District
The four Republicans hoping to replace Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) faced off in a debate Tuesday in Chelmsford.
 
Just hours after the Tuesday debate, the campaign headquarters of Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) were destroyed in a Westford blaze. Golnik told The Boston Globe that the fire will not slow down his campaign. In fact, Congressional Quarterly reported yesterday that Golnik has turned the loss into a fundraising pitch.
 
First Congressional District
Michael Engel (U-Southampton) asks on his blog if anyone has seen Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) recently, illustrating his query with a photoshop of the incumbent on the side of a milk carton.

Weekend roundup: Senate stays on 15, dares Governor to take hit

As the State Legislature wound down the session Saturday, the big news was not that the House and Senate both passed the compromise Casino bill, but that the margin in the Senate was again 25-15, two votes shy of a veto-proof majority. So, if the Governor vetoes the bill as he has promised and if Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) calls a special session to consider the veto, gambling supporters need to get two opposing senators to switch their votes.

Locally, it appears that each of the representatives and senators up for reelection voted the same way they did when the issue came up earlier this session. Interestingly, that included Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) who voted for the three casino, two racino proposal despite her insistance last week that she would not vote for a bill that included slot parlors for racetracks. As of this evening, Chandler has not publicly discussed her change of heart.

Elsewhere...

Third Congressional District
Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) was vocal in his support for the House bill that strengthens oversight of offshore dirlling. "If you want to apologize for Big Oil, go right ahead, but the American people are not on your side on this one," he said.

Martin Lamb (R-Holliston) unveiled an economic package of tax cuts, including "putting a six-month moratorium on payroll taxes such as Social Security." He could not tell the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle how he would pay for the tax cuts.

Lamb claims he is winning the Facebook primary. According to statistics provided by Lamb and published in the Telegram, Lamb has nearly triple the number of Facebook friends as Brian Herr (D-Hopkinton), his closest competition for the Republican nomination. That and $1.99 will get him a coffee an Dunks.

First Congressional District
The House of Representatives is apparently so upset with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan that it refused to fund his travel budget. While John Olver (D-Amherst) opposed the measure, he did so tepidly and did not block it from coming out of his committee.

Fifth Congressional District
Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) has no use for the legal decision striking down parts of Arizona's immigration law.

Sam Meas (R-Haverhill)  took a spin on syndicated radio's The Roger Hedgecock show.

Second Congressional District
Barron's has dubbed the provision Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) has proposed to close tax loopholes for foreign insurance comanies "Hurricane Neal" for it's potential impact on the re-insurance industry.

Middlesex and Worcester Senate District
Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) was criticized by Glenn Beck, of all people, for his leadership on the bill to apportion Massachusetts's electoral votes based on the winner of the popular vote.

18th Worcester House District
Shaun Sutner of the Telegram suggests that Rep. Jennifer Callahan (D-Sutton) is operating under a double standard when it comes to lobbying and campaign finance issues.

11th Worcester House District
Matthew Beaton (R-Shrewsbury) was photographed on a golf course with President Geroge H. W. Bush and a Beaton for Representative bumper sticker. This earned a "President Bush throws support behind Beaton" headline from Daily Westborough.

Worcester County Sheriff
The Telegram looks at the four candidates for Sheriff.