Jonathan Hecht

Gov. Deval Patrick has waded into the tight Middlesex County 29th District state House race, throwing his weight behind Jonathan Hecht, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Patrick (D-Milton) appears with Hecht in a picture that is on a campaign flyer Hecht has distributed through the Watertown and Cambridge district. According to the Globe, the campaign material also contains a statement from the governor that reads, "I've known Jon Hecht for many years. He is a progressive Democrat with a long record of advocating for the needs of working families, especially in tough economic times."

The Hecht campaign said that Patrick has not formally endorsed Hecht.

Association of Government Employees, is said to be well tied into the voters that have lived in the Stephen Corbettdistrict for generations because her connection to organized labor and her family's involvement in local politics. 

Jonathan Hecht, a Watertown councilor and a senior human rights researcher at Yale Law School, is a progressive and cerebral candidate that appeals to voters that are new to the district.

But there is a third candidate in the race that local Democrats say shouldn't be counted out, some who could appeal to the widest range of Democrats in the district. He is Stephen Corbett, a Watertown councilor at large and owner of a small construction business.

When state Rep. Rachel Kaprielian (D-Watertown) decided she would not seek reelection, choosing instead to head the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Julia Fahey was immediately intrigued.
Julia Fahey
"It's an opportunity that I couldn't pass up," Fahey told PolitickerMA.com Monday. "I have a strong background in public service. I grew up in this community. I live there now and I care deeply about the community. I want to give back."

When the Democratic committees in Watertown and Cambridge Ward 9 decided against naming a nominee for the November ballot, the race for the September primary opened up to everyone. Fahey, an attorney with the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), quickly declared her candidacy, becoming the first candidate and first serious contender officially in the race.

In the Democratic primary race to replace state Rep. Rachel Kaprielian (D) in the 29th district in Middlesex County, Watertown Councilor Jonathan Hecht has emerged early as serious contender.

Hecht, 50, told PolitickerMA.com this week that he is running because he believes there are big problems facing both his district in the state and that he believes he is the best candidate to address them on Beacon Hill.

"There are a lot of infrastructure issues that are statewide problems," he said. "Education funding. Investment in housing. These are statewide issues that need to be worked at. My most fundamental concern and reason for wanting to be in the legislature is that as a state we have to invest more in physical infrastructure and in people."

Democrats in the 29th Middlesex district were still reeling from state Rep. Rachel Kaprielian's (D) announcement that she will not seek re-election, when, on June 3, the Democratic committees in Watertown and Cambridge's ninth ward decided against naming a nominee for the November election. Speculation in the district has percolated since, as the prospect of a sticker ballot with a wide open field for the Sept. 16 primary has spread through the district.

"When the two committees agreed they would leave it a open race and not nominate it became more exciting and not the standard fare," said Mel Poindexter, a Watertown resident and member of the Democratic State Committee. "There is a lot of buzz because it is now, in essence, a grassroots campaign."