BeyondGenius.com

There may be few people outside of the Bay State paying attention to the Massachusett’s governor’s race, however it is a contest to watch.

The current competition is heating up to be a duel between democrat Deval Patrick and republican Kerry Healy, the current Lt. Governor under Mitt Romney, who is himself not seeking reelection in what many see as a move towards a presidential bid in 2008.

The candidates, both Harvard graduates, differ on several important points. Healy supports a reinstatement of the death penalty for certain offenses while Patrick opposes it. Healy supports a lowering of the state sales tax, which Patrick also opposes. Patrick is a strong proponent of alternative energy and specifically the Cape Wind project, an issue which energized his campaign.

A September 22nd poll put Patrick ahead by 39 points, with 64% of likely voters polled compared to Healy’s 25%. This gap is expected to close considerably as November approaches, however it is nonetheless disheartening for Healy supporters.

Of course Healy’s postion as Lt. Governor works against her as much as it does for her. While she may enjoy greater recognition and a certain comfort factor that comes with incumbency, she also bears an air of responsibility for the successes AND failures of the administration that she continues to serve under.

This became problematic for Healy during a recent televised debate, when other candidates, particularly independent candidate and entrepreneur Christy Mihos repeatedly took her to task for what they view as major public failings, notably Boston’s by now infamous “Big Dig” project.

Third party candidates are proving bothersome to Healy as she chases Patrick in the polls, often drawing her into debates that she would rather be having with the frontrunner. Showing some frustration Healy has referred to this third party involvement as “noise” and has expressed interest in a one-on-one debate with Patrick in what many do indeed see as a two person race. (In the same poll Mihos received only 5% of the potential vote and Green Party candidate Grace Ross, 1%)This sort of exclusion is opposed by Patrick and, of course, by the candidates themselves.

Regardless of the outcome, the Massachusetts gubernatorial contest stands to be an election of firsts. If elected, Kerry Healy would become Massachusett’s first elected female governor (Jane Swift served a partial term as interim governor) and Deval Patrick, if elected, would become the first African American governor in the state’s history, as well as the first democrat in the last decade and a half.