Days of Action

Gathering signatures is the first important phase of the campaign. Martha needs 10,000 certified signatures from registered voters (Democrats and unenrolled voters) in order to get her name on the ballot for re-election to Massachusetts Attorney General. 

As part of our signature gathering campaign, we are coordinating “Days of Action” every weekend starting February 27.  There will be targeted efforts in each region, including Greater Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts, Merrimack Valley and Essex County, Central Massachusetts, and Western Massachusetts.  

Anytime after 10:00 a.m., volunteers will meet at Headquarters in Charlestown or one of our regional locations and go out into the community for two-hour stretches to collect signatures. Volunteers will be paired up or put into groups, so no one will have to venture out alone, and we'll provide volunteers with suggested locations, maps and directions, and nomination papers.  

Our first big Day of Action is this Saturday, February 27. Learn more or RSVP online, or contact our regional field directors for your area to get plugged in:

• Greater Boston: Dan Cullinane (dcullinane@marthacoakley.com)
• Southeastern Massachusetts: Kyli Miller (kyli@marthacoakley.com)
• Merrimack Valley and Essex County: Kate Foster (foster@marthacoakley.com)
• Central Massachusetts: Craig Dorsett (craig@marthacoakley.com)
• Western Massachusetts: Arjun Tasker (arjun@marthacoakley.com)

Martha's Blog from the Road: More Caucus Trips

I was honored to spend time on this sunny weekend at local Democratic caucuses meeting with activists, voters, and volunteers.

We started Saturday morning at my own local caucus in Medford.  It’s always great to see my Mayor, Mike McGlynn, and my friends and neighbors from Ward 6 and across the city.

Next we drove down Route 2 to Fitchburg (it always reminds me of the long drive home to North Adams!), where I had the chance to connect with local leaders and friends.  Central Mass has important needs and challenges - in the office, we worked hard to fight for the people of Fitchburg after the terrible ice storm in late 2008 and we continue to stand up for them by working to hold Unitil accountable for their actions.  We also applaud the recently announced commuter rail expansion, which will be a key asset and economic development tool for the region.

After Fitchburg, we went to Newton where nearly 200 residents turned out to elect their delegates.  My friend Martina Jackson and I walked around to each ward, where I told attendees how much I appreciate their hard work over the recent campaign, and that I’m grateful for the opportunity to seek re-election.  I’m proud of the good work we’ve accomplished in the office, and there’s so much more to be done, to keep people safe, protect our most vulnerable, to fight for taxpayers and consumers, and to hold Wall Street accountable.

On Sunday we visited Framingham’s historic Town Hall, where I was welcomed by many familiar faces from my time as Middlesex District Attorney and AG.  A number of statewide candidates were also present, and we were each introduced by Chair Tom Mahoney, who invited us to address the crowd of attentive Democrats.  I commended attendees on their active participation in the caucus, and again expressed my gratitude for their hard work and support.

Tonight, I’ll be visiting caucuses in Worcester. I’m grateful for the words of encouragement, support, and advice I’m hearing while out over the past few weeks.   It’s good to see so many people energized for the June Democratic convention and the fall elections, and I appreciate the conversations I’ve been able to have with people at each stop.

Visiting Everett

Last night Martha continued her campaign trail stops with a visit to the Everett caucuses. Democrats in Everett had a full house with visits from a number of candidates, both statewide and locally.  Thanks to chair Patti Cheever and everyone in Everett for welcoming us!

Volunteer Meeting #2

Throughout Martha’s years in public office, we have always been consistently amazed with the support from thousands of volunteers across the state.  Supporters have made phone calls, held signs in their communities, proudly displayed bumper stickers and lawn signs, talked to their friends and neighbors, attended events, donated money, and so much more to show their support.  From North Adams to Provincetown, so many of you have given of your time and talents to work help Martha, and we can’t do or say enough to express our thanks.

Last night, Martha hosted a number of volunteers at campaign headquarters to say thank you for their hard work, and to give volunteers a chance to meet the new campaign staff and to hear about next steps for the new campaign to re-elect Martha as Attorney General.

It was a packed house at headquarters – thank you to all who were able to attend!  We know there are many volunteers who live in cities and towns that may not be convenient to Charlestown, so with that in mind we are coordinating volunteer meetings in different regions in the coming weeks.  More information will be available on our events calendar, and check back to our blog for details.

Visiting Caucuses

Today Martha was on the campaign trail with stops at caucuses in West Roxbury, Lowell, Braintree, Lexington, and Brookline.  Throughout the day, hopeful delegates shook hands and offered their support as Martha and volunteers worked to secure 10,000 certified signatures to get her name on the ballot.  We spent the day live-tweeting from the trail (follow @MarthaCoakley on Twitter).  Thanks to the ward and town chairs for welcoming us today: John Cushing (W. Roxbury), Mike Demeras and Patty Kirwin Keilty (Lowell), Sonya Shaw (Braintree), Judith Pappo (Lexington), and Cindy Rowe (Brookline).  Check out photos from today on our Flickr stream.

Caucus attendees were also vying for spots as delegates to this summer's Democratic State Convention in Worcester.  It's always great to see such big crowds of active and involved participants in this process, and today was no exception with large crowds everywhere we went.

There were a number of caucuses held statewide today, and we wish we could have made it to each and every one!  There were a number of reports from the road posted to BlueMassGroup today.  Were you at your caucus?  Tell us about it!

Hitting the Campaign Trail Tomorrow

As we mentioned in an earlier post, phase one of our signature drive is attending caucuses in communities statewide.  Our volunteer meeting earlier this week really mobilized the troops, and we’ve all been working the phones and reaching out to our great volunteer base to get every single caucus covered. 

This Saturday, Martha will be attending local Democratic caucuses around the state to speak with voters in each community, including: West Roxbury, Lowell, Braintree, Lexington, and Brookline.  Follow Martha on Twitter for updates and photos from the road throughout the day tomorrow! 

First Organizational Meeting

Last night we opened the doors to Coakley Headquarters and welcomed our volunteers for our first organizational meeting. We had a great crowd of enthusiastic supporters, and officially kicked off our signature drive to get Martha's name on the ballot for re-election as Attorney General.

It was great to see some familiar faces again and some new supporters joining the team for this very important first phase of the campaign.  To ensure that Martha's name appears on the ballot, we must collect 10,000 certified signatures in a short couple of months.  We've posted a new page on our website explaining the signature process, and everything you need to know to get involved.

As part of this drive, we're focusing attention on local caucuses.  Throughout the month of February, Massachusetts communities will be holding its caucus to elect delegates to this year’s Democratic State Convention in Worcester this June.  These caucuses are great locations to gather signatures, with attendees from a single municipality in one location (signature papers are separated by city/town), and who are typically registered Democrats or registered unenrolled voters.  The Massachusetts Democratic Party has a complete list of caucus dates and locations on their website: www.massdems.org.  

Check out our events calendar for updates on which caucuses Martha will be attending throughout the month.

An Announcement to Supporters

Dear Friends,

You have been such a loyal friend and supporter, and I wanted you to be the first to know that today I took out nomination papers to seek re-election as your Attorney General.

There is no question that the families I have met across this Commonwealth are struggling right now. There is an incredible sense of insecurity and uncertainty in so many people's daily lives.

Now more than ever, people need and expect their government to be working effectively for them. And they should accept nothing less.

That is why I am running for Attorney General. I understand the important work this office does in standing up for people and getting things done that matter in their lives. I want to continue to lead those fights on your behalf.

We will continue to stand up for taxpayers and hold the companies who caused this economic collapse accountable. We will challenge utility and health care companies to keep costs down for families and businesses. And we will continue the important work of protecting our children from the new and growing threats to their safety.

We will work every day dedicated to meeting these challenges and more, and I am energized by the opportunities to continue that important work on your behalf.

Thank you again for all that you have done and I am asking for your support in this race. I look forward to seeing you out on the campaign trail.

With Best Wishes,

Martha Coakley

P.S. If you would like to volunteer or help with our campaign, please visit www.marthacoakley.com/volunteer.

Blog Comment Policy

We welcome your participation in this blog and we hope you will share your ideas, your encouragement, and your experience with fellow readers.  Dissenting points of view are welcome, but we ask that you be respectful of our contributors, readers and participants. 

This is a moderated blog.  Comments are welcome at any time, but they may not be reviewed and approved immediately.  We do our best to review and post comments quickly; please do not resubmit your comment if it does not appear right away. 

Please keep comments clear and concise.  If you feel that you need a longer or more private means to convey your opinion about a particular blog post, we encourage you to email us directly at office@marthacoakley.com.

All submitted comments are subject to review and approval by the AGO’s blog moderators before they will be posted.  Comments may not be approved if they:

• Attack contributors or other blog participants, or are deemed insulting to participants;
• Contain profanity or offensive or inappropriate language (including language which targets a particular group);
• Contain excessive and/or inappropriate links;
• Contain any identifying personal information, such as an address, phone number, or social security number;
• Are used for any commercial or political campaign promotion or marketing; or
• Are clearly off-topic from the blog post.

Comments should be suitable for all ages.  To submit comments, you must complete all required fields (name and email address).  Email addresses are required for commenting, but they are not published on the blog and will not be shared.  Please use a valid email address when commenting on the blog. 

All comments within this blog are the responsibility of the commenter, not the blog owner, administrator, contributor, editor, or author.  By submitting a comment on our blog, you agree that the comment content is your own, and to hold this site and all subsidiaries and representatives harmless from any and all repercussions, damages, or liability.

If you find a comment on this blog that you believe is in violation of this comment policy, please contact us at office@marthacoakley.com.