Trump Supporting Democrat wins primary in Crowded field in Massachusetts

[Canis]

https://digboston.com/trump-guy-wins-the-democratic-primary-to-fill-deleos-seat/?fbclid=IwAR3zQBmkLyzuWYNdWyhVqF6jq_Dm3cyOAStGxFJZX3noZe2GUkZbITGUBfQ

TRUMP GUY WINS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TO FILL DELEO’S SEAT
WRITTEN BY PATRICK COCHRAN
POSTED MARCH 3, 2021
FILED UNDER: NEWS, NEWS TO US, NEWS+OPINIONS


It’s the second time in less than a year that progressives have been dealt a bitter defeat in a crowded primary race.
In a blow to the left, a pro-life candidate who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic primary election to fill the 19th Suffolk Massachusetts state House seat.

Jeff Turco, a self-described “Reagan Democrat” with a history of offensive and controversial comments, topped the four-candidate field with about 36% of the vote, according to unofficial results. He led the field in fundraising leading up to the primary.

“Jeffrey Turco is a Trump supporter who spreads radical anti-abortion rhetoric,” NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts said in a statement fundraising against Turco.

The seat, which covers Winthrop and part of Revere, was vacated when former state House speaker Robert DeLeo stepped down in December after a career that spanned three decades.

“We’re not Somerville and we’re not Cambridge and it’s OK in today’s Democratic Party to have moderates,” Turco told the Boston Herald.

Turco will face Winthrop Republican Paul Caruccio as well as independent candidate Richard Fucillo Jr. in the March 30 special election. It is unlikely that the Democrats will lose the seat. In 2014, a relatively strong election for Massachusetts Republicans, DeLeo was re-elected with more than 70% of the vote. That was the last time Republicans took a stab at the district. In 2020, Donald Trump lost Revere and Winthrop by more than 25 points. Regardless, the result will have little to no impact on the makeup of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as the Democrats currently hold a 127-31 supermajority in the lower chamber.

Labor organizer Juan Jaramillo finished in second with 30% of the vote, followed by Alicia DelVento (26%) and Valentino Capobianco (8%).

Wonder if people in MA are starting to regret rejecting ranked-choice voting...

[Mad Deadly Worldwide Communist Gangster Computer God]

I guess the MacArthur Wing of the party needs a conciliatory prize after getting ass slammed in Nevada and watching Pretty Boy Kennedy lose to God Emperor Market.

[Morning in Atlas]

For the record, Richard Fucillo seems amazing and the party shpuld 100% endorse him.

[Figueira]

People like this are why the whole "Democrats have a veto-proof majority!!!" argument is stupid.

[Tartarus Sauce]

I guess the MacArthur Wing of the party needs a conciliatory prize after getting ass slammed in Nevada and watching Pretty Boy Kennedy lose to God Emperor Market.

MacArthur despises Trump and is on the record as always willing to support a socialist over a Trumpist. He’s also pro-choice as far as I’m aware.

I get that he can be abrasive and cocky, which incites a desire for ripostes, but if you’re going to diss him, at least make sure your swings actually connect.

[IAMCANADIAN]

Probably closer to the average Democratic voter than Phil Scott or Larry Hogan are to the average Republican voter.

[Holmes]

Probably closer to the average Democratic voter than Phil Scott or Larry Hogan are to the average Republican voter.

This is an indictment on the average Republican, actually.

[SnowLabrador]

We really needed ranked-choice voting to pass last November.

[TiltsAreUnderrated]

When I read the headline: could it be? Are socon socdems finally threading the needle?

When I read the article:

Jeff Turco, a self-described “Reagan Democrat”

Ugh.

I read more into his background and he does appear to be somewhat populist, although he donated to Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham. He is a Trump/Biden voter who opposes raising gas tax or making MA a sanctuary state, but supports investment to ensure more and cheaper public transport. He also supports the millionaires' income tax movement (a proposed 4% income tax surcharge for annual incomes > $1million), and was supported by police and firefighter unions.

He won his primary thanks to richer areas, but it'll be interesting to see what the GE map looks like (although, as a special election, it's bound to look a bit odd). A progressive would have been better, but if he proves to be a lefty cloaking himself in moderate rhetoric, he'll at least be an interesting answer to Charlie Baker.

[Figueira]

When I read the headline: could it be? Are socon socdems finally threading the needle?

When I read the article:

Jeff Turco, a self-described “Reagan Democrat”

Ugh.

I read more into his background and he does appear to be somewhat populist, although he donated to Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham. He is a Trump/Biden voter who opposes raising gas tax or making MA a sanctuary state, but supports investment to ensure more and cheaper public transport. He also supports the millionaires' income tax movement (a proposed 4% income tax surcharge for annual incomes > $1million), and was supported by police and firefighter unions.

He won his primary thanks to richer areas, but it'll be interesting to see what the GE map looks like (although, as a special election, it's bound to look a bit odd). A progressive would have been better, but if he proves to be a lefty cloaking himself in moderate rhetoric, he'll at least be an interesting answer to Charlie Baker.

Republicans running as Democrats in Massachusetts is nothing new. If only one party can realistically get elected, any ambitious politician (unless they're running for Governor) is going to join that party. See also Rhode Island and Hawaii.

[brucejoel99]

First MA-04, now this? If RCV's not gonna be happening in MA, then candidates who actually give a damn about their principles need to learn when to drop out to prevent detrimental sh*t like this happening, because this is utterly ridiculous.

[Roll Roons]

First MA-04, now this? If RCV's not gonna be happening in MA, then candidates who actually give a damn about their principles need to learn when to drop out to prevent detrimental sh*t like this happening, because this is utterly ridiculous.

Hasn't Auchincloss proven himself to be a fairly standard Democrat?

[brucejoel99]

First MA-04, now this? If RCV's not gonna be happening in MA, then candidates who actually give a damn about their principles need to learn when to drop out to prevent detrimental sh*t like this happening, because this is utterly ridiculous.

Hasn't Auchincloss proven himself to be a fairly standard Democrat?

In terms of his voting record, sure, but my reference to that race wasn't referring to that but rather just the parallel of a non-progressive winning a frankly laughable plurality (i.e., Turco with 36%, & Auchincloss with just 22(!)%) by an extremely laughable margin over their progressive runner-up (i.e., Turco by less than 300 votes, Auchincloss by just 1.4%) in a race in which all of the progressives combined to win well more than 50% of the vote (i.e., 56% in this race, & 55% in MA-04). Regardless of Auchincloss having proven himself to be a fairly standard Democrat, the majority of voters in his district overwhelmingly voted for somebody else of a different ideological variety, just as the majority of voters in Turco's district did. That (& the absurdity thereof) is what I was getting at.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

This guy is very much not going to win reelection in the next cycle, correct?

This doesn't seem like the area where that would be viable politically barring the unusual circumstances of this primary.

[StateBoiler]

In a blow to the left, a pro-life candidate who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic primary election to fill the 19th Suffolk Massachusetts state House seat.

I like that "pro-life candidate" outranked "voted for Donald Trump in 2016" for importance "to the left".

[brucejoel99]

In a blow to the left, a pro-life candidate who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic primary election to fill the 19th Suffolk Massachusetts state House seat.

I like that "pro-life candidate" outranked "voted for Donald Trump in 2016" for importance "to the left".

Much more likely that said wording was just a matter of it working better than the converse of "a 2016 Donald Trump voter who's pro-life" (hell, you can't even fit the word "candidate" in there with that wording), but go off, I guess.

[smoltchanov]

Well, Massachusetts is so Democratic now, that many moderate conservatives choose Democratic label to be more electable in GE despite obvious possible problems in primary. So, only far-right conservatives, who have no other place to go, are, essentially, compelled to stay Republican. All other have alternatives...