Mass. Politics: The Tangled Web We Weave

Our Senator may have lost the presidential race, but Massachusetts is nevertheless solidifying its control over the rest of the country: Our old pal Bill Weld is getting more press coverage than he has in years as New York Republicans consider whether to nominate him if their current governor, George Pataki, doesn't run again. The New York Times tells us that Weld, who now lives in Manhattan, has been looking to get back into politics but won't run for Senator in New York because Hillary Rodham Clinton is an old friend of his. We think that's a pity, because we would enjoy watching a contest between a native of Massachusetts and a native of Illinois to represent the good people of New York (it would be a nice distraction from watching our own Michigan-born-and-raised governor defend his seat - unless he decides to hold out for the presidency, thus vindicating the impossible white-house aspirations of his Mexican-born father). But the player we really have our eye on in all this multi-state shuffling is Somerville mayor Joseph Curtatone. In addition to being well-positioned to run for deceased state rep. Charlie Shannon's seat, he now has the option of going after Jarrett Barrios's spot in the state Senate, since Barrios has announced he'll run for Middlesex DA when Martha Coakley leaves that job to run for Attorney General (which will be open because Tom Reilly is trying to unseat Mitt Romney). But we think the Somervillionaire could be aiming even higher: What with his recent dance on the international stage and New York's apparent fondness for out-of-state candidates, Curtatone could run against Weld for governor of New York, completing the all-Massachusetts line-up. We've also heard that New York City's Republican mayor, who was born and raised in Medford, will be up for reelection soon. It practically goes without saying that Bostonist would love to see a Medford-Somerville battle for control of the Big Apple. So what's it gonna be, Mayor Joe? The ball's in your court.

Contributed by Josh Michtom