Hill residents head to the polls on Nov. 6

Residents of Mission Hill will head to the polls on Nov. 6 and help decide several statewide races and ballot questions.

Two incumbents—Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democrat U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren—both face challengers, but they have high approval ratings and double-digits leads in polls going into Election Day.

Warren, who many believe will run for President of the United States in 2020, has two opponents in her bid for re-election: Whitman resident Geoff Diehl, a Republican state representative and avid supporter of President Donald Trump, and Belmont resident Shiva Ayyadurai, an entrepreneur who is running as an Independent.

Baker, who according to polls is one of the most popular governors in the country, will battle Democrat Jay Gonzalez in his re-election bid. Gonzalez, who is the former secretary of administration and finance in the Patrick administration, will have a steep hill to climb to pull out the victory, facing limited name recognition and less-than-full backing of the state Democratic establishment.

Mission Hill residents will also vote on three ballot questions. The most heated of the three is question 1, which is a proposed law that would limit the number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse at hospitals and certain other health care facilities. A yes vote would lead to such a law, while a no vote would make no changes to the current laws relative to patient-to-nurse limits. Polling leading into Election Day have voters mostly split on the issue.

Question 2 is about campaign finance reform. A yes vote would create a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings. A no vote would not create such a commission.

Question 3 is about whether to keep a law that went into effect in 2016 that prohibits discrimination against transgender people in public spaces, such as restrooms in restaurants and gym locker rooms. A yes vote would keep the current law in place, while a no vote would repeal the law.

Besides the senate and governor races, there are also several other statewide competitions.

Incumbent Maura Healey, a Democrat, will take on James McMahon, a Republican, in her re-election campaign for the state Attorney General.

Incumbent Bill Galvin, a Democrat who had a spirited fight against Mission Hill City Councilor Josh Zakim during the primary race, will face off against Anthony Amore, a Republican, and Juan Sanchez, a Green-Rainbow Party candidate, for the state Secretary of State position.

Incumbent Deborah Goldberg, a Democrat, will take on Republican Keiko Orrall and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jamie Guerin for the state Treasurer position.

It’s a full plate for the battle for the state Auditor with Democrat incumbent Suzanne Bump, Republican Helen Brady, Libertarian Daniel Fishman, and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Edward Stamas vying for the position.

The only competitive local race of note is for Suffolk County District Attorney with Democrat Rachel Rollins taking on Independent Reformer Michael Maloney. Rollins is expected to easily win.

Ayanna Pressley, candidate for the Congressional District 7 seat; local state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz; and Nika Elugardo, candidate for the 15th Suffolk District seat, all do not have challengers for the Nov. 6 election.

 

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