We have hardly had time to catch our collective breaths after the 2010 Elections when the new election season is upon us. Massachusetts Democrats kicked off the 2012 campaigns by gathering at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell on June 4, 2011 to plan out the strategies we would follow, to meet new candidates for various offices and to greet old ones. Three major issues were discussed: the re-election of President Obama, the defeat of Senator Scott Brown, and redistricting in Massachusetts. As in previous years since 2008, GHO will be taking an active role in the state and national elections, including working towards the re-election of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. Presented here is information about candidates and other election-related material.
State and National Elections, 2012
We all know that President Obama is running for re-election. Any activities that GHO will be planning or will participate in will be listed here with details being provided as they become available.
Where They Stand - GOP Presidential Candidates' Views on Major Issues
List of Republican Presidential Candidates
U.S. Senate
Senator Scott Brown promised to be an independent voice in the Senate when he got elected in January of 2010. He may have been independent on issues of small consequence, but he voted with his Republican colleagues (or supports their point-of-view) on issues of great import, such as:
| Summer jobs for teenagers: voted against |
| Expansion of student loans: voted against |
| Extension of unemployment benefits: voted for on condition that people making over one million dollars get a tax break |
| EPA: voted to basically gut its authority to protect us against those in industry who wish to continue polluting our air and our waters |
| Medicare: supports voucher plan put forth by House Republicans and endorsed by Senate Republicans |
Here is a list of declared candidates for the seat now being held by Senator Brown. We present them to you in alphabetical order and provide you with their Websites so that you may find out more about them.
Marisa DeFranco
XxxxXxxxxx-- Ms. DeFranco is familiar to GHO members because she came to our Unified 2012 Campaign Kickoff Party on May 15, 2011. Presently, she is an immigration attorney in Middleton, who has (among other things) received a national award for her pro bono work. She currently serves as Chair on the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Immigration Section Council. You can read more about Attorney DeFranco at our Meet the Candidate page.
Elizabeth Warren
XxxxXxxxxx-- Ms. Warren helped create the new consumer financial protection agency: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She has served as Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and has been a law professor at Harvard University for twenty years. You can read more about Ms. Warren at our Meet the Candidate page.
To see how all the Senate candidates fared at the HDCC Straw Poll in September,
please see HDCC Straw Pole - 2011.
Governor's Council
David Eppley
XxxxXxxxxx-- Mr. Eppley is an attorney and a partner at Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster of Boston, MA. He has practiced family law since 2001 and has represented clients from both Middlesex and Essex Counties. To find out more about Mr. Eppley, please visit our Meet the Candidates page.
