Marty Walsh: 'I Haven't Really Thought Much' About Running For Massachusetts Governor
BOSTON (CBS) -- Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has only been Labor Secretary in President Joe Biden's administration for a few months, but there's already speculation about a possible homecoming. With Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announcing he won't seek a third term, some are wondering if Walsh will run statewide in 2022.
Walsh, who previously served on Beacon Hill as a state representative, was asked about the wide-open governor's race in an interview on CNN Friday.
"You know I talked to the governor the other day, he told me that he wasn't going to run for re-election, and I wished him well," Walsh said. "We worked very closely together in my time as mayor and also during the beginning of the pandemic."
Is Walsh considering throwing his hat into the ring?
"I haven't really thought much about that," said Walsh, who also declined to rule out the possibility of running for governor. "I'm focused right now on what I'm doing at the Department of Labor at the current moment.
WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller says Walsh is "sitting on a flush bank account with healthy statewide name recognition and approval."
"His decision to continue spending plenty of time in Boston (he takes a hotel room for nights spent in DC) speaks to a touch of homesickness," Keller said. "If and when the 'social infrastructure' spending bill passes, a case can be made that the bulk of the Labor Secretary's work for this presidential term is done."
Former State Sen. Ben Downing, Harvard University professor Danielle Allen and State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz have already announced their candidacies for the Democratic nomination. Attorney General Maura Healey could also be a frontrunner in the race if she decides to run.
