“Geoff Diehl, on the other hand, is a true patriot, committed to low energy costs and our independent energy policy,” Trump said. But Deal, if he wins the nomination Tuesday, will be a heavy underdog to the presumptive Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Maura Healey, who — after months of weighing her options — jumped into the open race. positions less than two months later Baker bowed out. Healey’s announcement in late January cleared the field of previously announced Democratic candidates. Her fundraising prowess and national stature, sharpened during Trump’s presidency when she frequently challenged his administration in court, made her popular among Commonwealth Democrats who believed she represented the party’s best chance to reverse Baker. Outside of the top of the Democratic ticket, the party’s representation in Congress is nearly stable after recent rounds of upheaval. None of Massachusetts’ nine-member Democratic U.S. House delegation faces a primary challenger this year. So much of Tuesday’s intrigue will come from a pair of primaries that might not have been close — or even contested, in one case — if Baker had sought a third term. On the Republican side, Diehl is locked in an increasingly contentious race with Doughty, who has argued he represents the GOP’s best chance to defeat Healey in November. (Diehl has the state party’s endorsement, but Doughty secured enough delegates at his convention in May to get on the ballot.) Doughty — who said he voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Trump in 2020 — received a late boost from conservative radio host Howie Carr, who, echoing the candidate’s electability argument, endorsed Doughty over Deal. Meanwhile, Deal and Leah Allen, his ally running for lieutenant governor, held a conference call with Trump on Monday night. The Boston Globe editorial board, though far from influencing Republican voters, implored them (and eligible independents) to elect Doughty and begin a “party reset.” “This process will take years, but voters can begin it by electing Doughty, a calm voice for a more pragmatic conservatism, over Diehl, a staunch associate of former President Donald Trump,” the board wrote. Diehl declined a televised debate with Doughty (they debated on Carr’s radio show in July), so WBZ in Boston last week conducted a “virtual debate” — conducting separate interviews, back-to-back and then editing parts of them together. “He’s too extreme for our state, he’s pushing conspiracy theories, he has beliefs that are just not consistent with the state of Massachusetts,” Doughty said of Diehl. “It makes him unelectable.” Diehl sidestepped the allegation when asked about it, focusing on the GOP primary and spring convention. “He’s got an 0-and-1 record so far,” Diehl said. “In the convention, I think I beat him 71%-29%. So that claim, of course, is going to come from any challenger.” The most competitive high-profile Democratic primary on Tuesday is the nomination to succeed Healy as state attorney general, which pits former Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell — the first black woman to serve in the position and, if she was becoming AG, the first black woman elected statewide — against labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan. (NAACP Boston Chapter President Tanisha Sullivan, a black woman challenging Secretary of State William Galvin in the Democratic primary, is also vying to make history.) Healey, who has supported Campbell, looked up to her before qualifying day. U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley also supports Campbell and made her case at a rally with signs for all three women behind them. “We need a bold, fierce, visionary, inclusive leader like Andrea Campbell,” Pressley said. “The world deserves it. The moment demands it. And that’s what the job demands.” Voters trickled in late when a third candidate, attorney Quentin Palfrey, dropped out last week and endorsed Campbell, joining Healey, Pressley and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in a race that has divided the state’s top progressives. (Palfrey was an active candidate when early voting began and his name remains on the ballot.) Liss-Riordan has the endorsements of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and former incumbent Boston Mayor Kim Janey — all three of whom star in her final ad. “Shannon Liss-Riordan is the progressive champion Massachusetts needs as our next attorney general,” Warren said in announcing her endorsement late last month. “I know firsthand how Shannon fights back and wins against corporations and special interests that take advantage of working families.” The winner will face Republican attorney James McMahon, the 2018 candidate defeated by Healey, who is running unopposed on Tuesday.
