Massachusetts Dem Gov Candidates Continue To Struggle With Low Name ID

While GOP Governor Charlie Baker’s approval rating has soared to 74%, his Democrat challengers continue to struggle as most voters still have no idea who any of them are. According to WBUR’s latest survey, not one of the Democrats currently running for governor has a favorability rating over 12%. To make matters worse for Democrats, 65% of Massachusetts voters still have not heard of even the most well-known candidate in the party’s primary. Since a previous WBUR survey from June of 2017, name ID among Democrat candidates has actually declined in some cases, even after they’ve spent six months on the campaign trail.

For months, the Massachusetts Democrats’ gubernatorial field has drawn bad headlines for its weak candidates, with some Democrat operatives going as far as labeling them “the B team” for their lackluster fundraising and low name ID. In August, the Boston Globe reported that the party was even having trouble finding Lieutenant Governor candidates willing to run alongside the party’s gubernatorial candidates because they had so “notably underwhelmed” voters.

As Massachusetts Democrat gubernatorial candidates continue to struggle with anemic fundraising and name ID that’s actually declined after six months of campaigning, their chances of winning in November continue to diminish with each passing day.