Who’s the Frontrunner in GOP Senate Primary?

One candidate has name recognition, but experts say no one has separated themselves from the field yet.

The window for the three combatants for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate special election to make a name for themselves is a small one, with the April 30 primary just seven weeks away. Observers don’t believe there is a clear frontrunner at this point among the field of State Rep. Dan Winslow, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez. But strong fundraising, advertising and ground operations could change that quickly. Frank Talty, co-director of the UMass-Lowell Center For Public Opinion, believes that Sullivan has a “slight advantage” at the moment because of his previous job, but not enough to pull away from Winslow and Gomez at the moment. “He had received some media attention in that capacity…

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Question 4 Passes in Somerville

Somerville voters have adopted the Community Preservation Act.

Somerville’s Question 4 has passed, according to election results from the city of Somerville. In approving the question, Somerville voters have decided to adopt the Community Preservation Act, which sets aside money for open space, historic preservation and affordable housing projects in the city.   According to the results, the question passed with 24,358 (69 percent) of voters approving the measure and 7,714 (22 percent) voting against it.

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Somerville Election Guide 2012

The candidates, incumbents and issues that will be affecting Somerville.

Election 2012: How Much Have Your Somerville Neighbors Given to Obama and Romney?

Search our interactive campaign contribution database and find out who from Somerville has donated to the presidential campaigns. Also, guess how many people in Somerville donated to Romney.

Somerville residents, it may not come as a surprise, have donated more money to Barack Obama than to Mitt Romeny. Considering Romney is a former governor of Massachusetts, what may be a surprise is just how few people from Somerville have donated to his campaign. The answer: Eight—for a total of $2,786. Meanwhile, scores of Somervillians have donated to Obama for a total of $190,498. These totals are based on information from the Fedeal Election Commission's website and account for donations made between spring of 2011 and the end of August, 2012. To see who's been donating what in Somerville, you can use the interactive campaign database above.

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Mass Dems Come Out of Conventions on a High, Says Patch Poll

The latest findings from Patch's Red and Blue Commonwealth surveys.

Massachusetts Democrats got more of a confidence boost out of their party convention than Republicans did. That's the major finding from Red and Blue Commonwealth surveys sent out to Massachusetts Republicans and Democrats earlier this week. An overwhelming 88 percent of influential Massachusetts Democrats surveyed in Patch polls said they feel "more strongly" that their candidate is going to win the presidential election in November. Only 56 percent of Republicans surveyed responded similarly. Republicans also seemed less confident about whether their presidential candidate had gotten into the details of his plans: 45 percent of them were neutral or disagreed with the statement, "In his convention speech, Romney provided specifics on his …

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Third Generation Somervillian And 'Pit Bull Liberal,' Keri Lorenzo, at DNC

The 33-year-old Somerville resident is in Charlotte, N.C. for the Democratic National Convention.

Last week we profiled Samantha Shusterman, a 29-year-old Somerville resident who was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. A number of readers pointed out that Keri Lorenzo, a third generation Somervillian, is also a delegate. Lorenzo is an at-large delegate, which means she was selected by the Massachusetts Democratic Party State Committee. Lorenzo described herself as a "pit bull liberal Democrat" and said she inherited her love of politics and the Democratic Party from her Somerville family, including her grandmother who was deeply involved in Somerville politics. A graduate of Somerville High School, where she met her husband, Jerry, Lorenzo has two sons and a third on the way. This year's is Lorenzo's first …

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Poll: Are You Voting Today?

Yes? No? Maybe? Are you hitting the polls today?

On Monday afternoon it was "crunch time" at the city's election department as officials worked to make sure today's election runs smoothly, according to Somerville Election Department Chairman Nicholas Salerno. To learn about today's voting, see our 2011 election guide. Salerno wouldn't speculate on expected turnout, focusing instead on preparing for the election. Sunny, warm weather could bring people to the polls. On the other hand, with the mayor running unopposed and with uncontested elections in four of Somerville's seven wards, voters might not be as motivated as they sometimes can be. What about you? Will you hit the polls today, or do you think you'll sit this one out? Be honest.

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