It is time Massachusetts launched another candidate for president.
Not a joke, as Joe Biden would say.
Looking back, it is 65 years since Massachusetts Democrat Sen. John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960, becoming the first Roman Catholic to be elected to the highest office in the land.
Since then, three prominent Massachusetts Democrats and one Republican have run for president and all have lost—Sen. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, brother of JFK, in 1980, Gov. Michael Dukakis in 1988, Sen John F. Kerry in 2004 and Republican Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012.
All four were beaten.
Ted Kennedy lost to fellow Democrat President Jimmy Carter in the Democrat primaries and at the party convention. Carter was defeated in the election by Republican Ronald Reagan.
While both Dukakis and Kerry both won their party’s nomination, both were defeated in the November elections, Dukakis by Vice President George H.W. Bush, and Kerry by Bush’s son Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Romney was beaten by President Barack Obama.
Now, believe it or not, comes Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey who, like her Massachusetts predecessors, is also apparently dreaming Washington dreams.
Healey, of course, must win reelection in 2026 for anything to happen, the way Dukakis did in 1986, before dreaming of going national.
And Healey would need a weak primary field to run against, which is what both Dukakis and Kerry had when they won their party’s nomination.
Dukakis’ main opponent was civil rights leader Jesse Jackson. His other long forgotten opponents were Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri.
Kerry’s opponents were Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Gen. Wesley Clark of Arkansas.
Scouring the political landscape and the Democrat’s ludicrous response to Trump’s boffo congressional speech Tuesday, the party continues to be in a state of disarray.
If it does not stand for hate of Trump, it would stand for nothing at all.
Not only has the party cratered before the dominance of Trump, but it appears to have more craters than the moon.
The Democrat Party is leaderless.
So why not run?
Having served two terms, Republican President Donald Trump will not be on the ballot, and Vice President JD Vance will most likely be the favorite to be the Republican candidate to succeed him.
And on the left, the 2028 Democrat Party nomination for president will be up for grabs.
It is doubtful the party will again have Kamala Harris as its candidate, not after her abysmal performance against Trump in 2024.
She could run for governor of California in 2026 to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom who is term limited.
And, speaking of Gavin, the two-term governor is so politically weakened by California’s problems, both natural and man-made, that his political future is on life support.
The Democrat Party is so weak, and so bereft of serious leaders that even Minnesota Gov. Timi Walz (“Tampon Tim”), Harris’ daffy vice-presidential running mate, is toying with the idea of running for president.
And while Trump and the GOP are riding high today, controlling the presidency, the House and the Senate, anything can happen between now and 2028.
Healey, meanwhile, has raised her national profile with her ongoing attacks on Trump. She scored a fawning New York Times puff piece last weekend that drew a lot of attention. She also appeared Wednesday on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” on NBC.
The issues aside, Healey brings to the Democrat Party national scene something other candidates do not have.
While the Democrat Party has run women for president, albeit it unsuccessfully— Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Harris in 2024— Democrats have not run a woman who is a governor and openly gay, like Healey. She could also be a vice-presidential running mate.
People will dump on the dreamy idea, just as they dumped on Dukakis’ dream. But Dukakis did win the party nomination.
Sometimes a potential national candidate, like a prophet or prophetess, is often not recognized in his, or her, own country.
With no one else around, what has she got to lose?
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
