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What went wrong for Democrats in 2024? Massachusetts party chairman on what needs to change.

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What went wrong for Democrats in 2024? Massachusetts party chairman on what needs to change.


Steve Kerrigan, the chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, said his party needs to listen to voters more, because it cost them elections in during the 2024 campaign cycle.

The headline on a Washington Post column last week summed up the identity crisis preoccupying Democrats these days: “LET US COUNT THE 3,515 WAYS IN WHICH DEMOCRATS ARE LAME.” 

The piece went on to compile a list of the multitude of advice Democrats are getting, things like “go on the offensive,” “find plausible candidates,” “sound less judgmental,” “rethink the words they use,” “take a ‘specific and granular’ approach,” and “nominate someone who is ‘more mainstream.’”

What are Democrats doing different?

WBZ-TV asked Massachusetts Democratic party chairman Kerrigan what he takes away from it all. 

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“It’s not surprising to me that that article or those lists come out of Washington,” he said. “The word that matters most to me is win. And if you look at all of the elections that have taken place since November of 2024, Democrats have outperformed and, in many cases, we have flipped seats from Republicans to Democrats in state legislatures all across the country.”

What are they doing differently in from the debacle of the fall of 2024?  

“We’re continuing to organize and talk to people where they are and, frankly, listen more, which is what our party, and any party who wishes to win elections needs to do. You have to be willing to talk to the voters and to listen,” says Kerrigan. “What we didn’t do in the wake of 2016 was listen to why a Trump voter existed in the first place, how he got elected in the first place. I really think we fell down on the job. We took data points throughout time, the midterms of ’18, the win in ’20 and the no-red-wave in ’22 and figured out that we had figured it out, when, in fact, we hadn’t.”

What have they figured out now? The Trump voters “feel like they did not have their voice heard,” Kerrigan said. 

“We’ve got a Washington, DC [where] the last time they fought for or increased the minimum wage, my former boss, Ted Kennedy led that battle, and he died in August of 2009. You’ve got a Congress that doesn’t pass a budget through regular order since 1997. The American people are frustrated, and they’re showing it by saying ‘You’re in power, we now are going to try the other guy,’ even though they knew what the other guy was up to,” Kerrigan said.

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Should Maura Healey re-elected?

On the local front, Kerrigan was asked about recent polling showing only 37% of Massachusetts voters believe Gov. Maura Healey deserves re-election next year. He waved off that results and cited other pols that are more favorable for the incumbent.

“Governor Healey is going to earn re-election because she understands Massachusetts people need someone who’s going to fight to lower costs for them, going to fight to increase housing opportunities for them, going to fight back against Donald Trump. And frankly, neither Mike Kennealy nor Brian Shortsleeve [the two announced GOP candidates for governor] are willing to do any of that,” Kerrigan said.

Kerrigan also discussed the impact President Trump and his policies are likely to have on the campaign here, and gave his reaction to recent reporting on the handling of then-President Joe Biden’s decision to seek re-election. 

You can watch the entire conversation here, and join us every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. for more discussion with political and policy newsmakers on the weekend edition of “Keller At Large.” Next week’s guest will be Massachusetts GOP chair Amy Carnevale.

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Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”

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Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”


It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.

In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.

In Danvers, Mass. the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars on March 4, 2026.

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CBS Boston


In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.

Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”

The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.

“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.

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“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.

Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.

“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”

With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.

“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man. 

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran

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‘No way to leave’: Mass. families stuck in Middle East amid war in Iran


Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.

The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.

Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.

“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”

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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.

“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”

Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.

At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.

“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.

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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.

“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.

The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.

“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.

Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.

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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”

With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.



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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Snow, ice, rain to impact roads in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.

The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.

The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.

For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.

The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.

The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.

Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.

That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!

Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.

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