“Healey’s partners in the Legislature skew to the center,” MASSterlist, January 12, 2023.
Left-leaning Democrats have been wandering around the State House in recent days looking for bread crumbs….crumbs that will lead them to a conclusion on whether Gov. Maura Healey will be a progressive champion in the Corner Office, or govern more from the center.
While it’s way too soon to be making judgments on Healey’s progressive bonafides as governor, it’s not too soon to consider who she will be working with and what it might take for her to be successful.
Progressive Massachusetts published its legislative scorecard yesterday grading lawmakers in the House and Senate based on votes they took during the 2021-2022 session.
The results show a decidedly centrist Legislature where – left’s face – the bulk of the decisions about what will and won’t get done on Beacon Hill get made. A plurality in both the House and Senate earned Cs, and more than half of lawmakers in each branch (97 in the House and 22 in the Senate) were given a grade of C or lower.
Only 11 lawmakers in the House and Senate earned As from the group, and of those only six are returning for the new session – Sens. Jamie Eldridge, Patricia Jehlen and Becca Rausch and Reps. Mike Connolly, Dan Sena and Erika Uyterhoeven.
That means Healey is going to have to work with a relatively moderate Legislature. Senate President Karen Spilka was not given a grade because of the infrequency with which she votes, while last session’s Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues got a B-.
On the House side, Speaker Ron Mariano and his Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz both received a C+.
Some of the faces have changed to start this new session, but that’s unlikely to move the needle much.
Progressive Massachusetts policy director Jonathan Cohn noted the “strong dynamic of legislators voting lockstep with the speaker,” which led to 45 House Democrats receiving the same score as the speaker.
“We are looking forward to the new legislative session,” Cohn said. “At the end of the day, legislators decide what votes we can score by what recorded votes they request and what bills they advance. We hope that the return of unified Democratic governance inspires the Democratic majorities to expand their policy ambitions.”
