Massachusetts Rep. Russell Holmes drops bid for House speaker, leaving Majority Leader Ron Mariano unopposed
Updated Dec 28, 2020;
Massachusetts Rep. Russell Holmes dropped his bid for House speaker and will support Majority Leader Ron Mariano, MassLive confirmed.
The Mattapan Democrat said he decided to end his candidacy after seeing how many votes Mariano had amassed in the nearly two weeks since rumors of House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s resignation started to spread. He said he didn’t want to put other lawmakers through another speaker fight as some have in previous years.
“My thought was I could go in here and just be a sore loser like what we’ve been seeing our president be … or I can be respectful and respect the process and say ‘OK I lost, I’ll be supportive of the Democrats and of the caucus and move forward with Ron,’” Holmes said in an interview with MassLive Monday afternoon.
Don t count me out, says Rep. Holmes
When Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo filed an official notice last Friday that he has entered job negotiations with Northeastern University, his alma mater, his action seemed to most to set the stage for the election of Majority Leader Ron Mariano of Quincy to the speaker’s chair that DeLeo has held for 12 of his 30 years in the chamber, a record-long tenure for any House leader in state history.
To most, maybe, but not to Rep. Russell Holmes of Mattapan, who said that if DeLeo steps down in the next few weeks as expected, he intends to challenge Mariano. The past leader of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus said he made his decision last Thursday night after speaking with House Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad, who told him she did not intend to run.
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A protester holds up a pro-choice sign at the Women s March on Oct. 17, 2020. Photo by Caitlin Faulds/BU News Service
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BOSTON – The Massachusetts House and Senate moved forward with a budget amendment this week that will codify and expand abortion law in the commonwealth, despite recent attempts from Gov. Charlie Baker to dilute the legislation.
The abortion legislation was sent to the governor as an amendment to the 2021 state budget. While Baker approved the $46 billion budget, he requested changes to the abortion amendment that prompted this week s override vote in the House and Senate.
According to Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, this legislation was prompted by the appointment of conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Chandler said legislators were concerned about losing federal abortion laws and having few state protections in place.
Matt Murphy
State House News Service
Supporters of Majority Leader Ron Mariano, whose district includes Holbrook, believe the Quincy Democrat has enough votes among House Democrats to succeed Speaker Robert DeLeo if the longtime speaker steps down in the coming weeks, sources told the News Service Thursday.
The snowstorm that pounded most of Massachusetts overnight Wednesday gave DeLeo a bit of breathing room after a chaotic day at the State House Wednesday where reports about the speaker s impending departure swirled.
The speaker s office said nothing publicly Thursday after denying that he had a deal to join Northeastern University, and many lawmakers called and contacted by the News Service either did not respond or declined to comment as they tried to learn themselves what was going to happen.