Officially on the ballot!

I'll keep this brief: As of this past week, I'm officially on the ballot to run for the GOP State Committee in Massachusetts from the Middlesex and Suffolk District! I'll appear on the Republican presidential primary ballot on Tuesday, March 4, 2012. Thank you very much to all those who signed for me, and especially to Charlie Marquardt and Barbara Bush (no, not the ex-First Lady) for helping me to gather signatures!

Just ten more left!

Today, the Cambridge Election Commission informed me that I have another 29 valid signatures, bringing my total to 40 (out of a necessary 50). I very much look forward to walking around Cambridge over the next ten days to get those last ten (I have two already!) and many more!

Today's Trip to the Election Commission...

...was a great success! I submitted the signatures of 34 Republican and unenrolled voters from Wards 6 and 8 in Cambridge; if all of them are accepted, I'll have 45 of the 50 necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot. Thank you very much to everyone who has signed so far, with special thanks due to Cambridge City Council candidate (and proud Republican) Charlie Marquardt, whose efforts garnered 21 of those 34.

Also, I pulled voter lists from Ward 7 today; I plan to seek my last few signatures (plus some extras!) on Saturday and early next week. There are 201 Republicans in the ward, and I'm sure there are also plenty of right-leaning independents. I look forward to talking to as many of you as possible!

Social Media

In addition to my blog, I'll now be posting campaign information on Facebook and Twitter!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CowettForStateCommittee
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Cowett4MassGOP

Redistricting News! (Well, at least proposals...)

The announcement of proposed re-districting maps is likely to bring great changes to the state Senate districts representing Cambridge. The maps must be approved by the state House and Senate, then signed by Governor Patrick, but the demography in this part of the state makes major revisions unlikely. Here's the news relevant to my campaign:

1) The (proposed) name of the district changes from "Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex" to "Middlesex and Suffolk"

2) The (proposed) new district is as follows (with additions in bold):

Middlesex County
CAMBRIDGE: Ward 1 all; Ward 2, precinct 1; Ward 3 all (precincts 1 and 3 are new); Ward 4, precinct 2; Ward 6 all; Ward 7 all; Ward 8 all (precinct 3 is new).
EVERETT: all

Suffolk County
BOSTON: Ward 2 all; Ward 3, precinct 5; Ward 21, precincts 4, 6, and 7; Ward 22, precincts 1, 2, and 5.
CHELSEA: all

Most of the (proposed) additions to the district are in Cambridge (8 precincts) and Boston (1). The district would also lose two precincts in Cambridge (9-1, 10-2), plus the previously-included parts of Revere (Ward 6), Saugus (precincts 2, 6, 10), and Somerville (1-1, 2-1).

It's great that, at long last, those of us running for office have a (preliminary) sense of where we'll be running. Among the many changes that must be made in the Commonwealth is to provide a much larger space of time between when districts are announced and when candidates must be living in the districts or file petitions. The current system is yet another disgraceful way incumbent Democrats protect their own. The system must be made fairer for all residents of the Commonwealth, not just those with Beacon Hill connections!

Welcome...

...to my campaign's blog! I seek to be the Republican state committeeman from the Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex district, which comprises part or all of Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Saugus, and Somerville. Check back soon for more information about me, about why I'm running, and about my campaign's progress.