An Update from the Campaign Trail

The weather has finally begun to turn and Martha and our outstanding volunteers have been incredibly busy this month! A quick update from the last month:

We’re pleased to report that we are making progress towards collecting the 10,000 signatures we need, thanks to our Days of Action over recent weekends.  Each Saturday, Martha has met up with volunteers at Headquarters and then ventured out to high-traffic areas in the community to collect signatures and say thank you to voters.  Throughout the month, Martha made visits to supermarkets in West Roxbury, Porter Square, Fresh Pond, and Arlington. Check out photos on our Flickr site.   We have more Days of Action coming up on March 27, April 3, and April 10. Sign up to join us for a couple of hours by emailing volunteer@marthacoakley.com.

Earlier in the month, Martha visited Malden, South Boston, and Lowell to enjoy local St. Patrick’s Day festivities. She also made appearances on Greater Boston with Emily Rooney (watch online), Nightside with Dan Rea on WBZ 1030AM (listen to the podcast online), and FOX25 Morning News for “Ask the AG” (watch online).

Martha has also been busy at work as Attorney General.  Earlier this week, The Boston Globe wrote an editorial about Martha’s work combating the faulty marketing of antipsychotic drugs, and her participation in a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson.  Also earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Massachusetts buffer zone law – a law which Martha has defended over the last year. The statute protects public safety and patient access to reproductive health care facilities by creating a 35-foot buffer zone around clinic entrances and driveways.  And this week, Martha announced a settlement with Countrywide Financial Corporation that provides an estimated $18 million in loan modifications for Massachusetts homeowners, $3 billion in loan modifications for homeowners across the country, and a $4.1 million payment to the Commonwealth.

Make sure to follow Martha on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook for all the latest news and events.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Martha

I hope you all are enjoying your St. Patrick's Day!

I am excited to seek re-election as Attorney General and my campaign team is out working hard every day. Over the past month, we have been out traveling the state, visiting local Democratic caucuses and working with volunteers to collect signatures at supermarkets, coffee shops, and commuter rail locations. I’ve been happy to join our volunteers at many of these stops and I appreciate the positive responses that we’ve received from people.

The Boston Herald joined me this Saturday, and wrote a piece on our work out on the campaign trail. You can read it on the Herald website.

Today, I saw old and new friends in Lowell at the City Manager’s annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast.   

We are a little over halfway to our goal of gathering the 10,000 signatures necessary to secure my place on the ballot. With your help, we can complete this drive soon. Can you join us this Saturday March 20th, or next Saturday, March 27th, for one of our Days of Action? I will be at campaign headquarters at 10:00 a.m. to say hello and then will join some teams out in the area.  If you can dedicate one or two hours on an upcoming Saturday, please RSVP online or email Kate Foster at foster@marthacoakley.com. 

It’s been great to see so many of you out around the Commonwealth, and I hope to see more of you soon. Again, thank you for all that you do.

Martha Coakley

More Days of Action THIS WEEKEND

Our Days of Action these last two Saturdays were a great success thanks to the dozens of volunteers who signed up to hit the streets and collect signatures in the community.  With each weekend, we are that much closer to the goal of 10,000 certified signatures by May 4.

We're hoping to build on this success with another strong weekend. Like previous Days of Action, a number of volunteers will be meeting at Coakley Headquarters (529 Main Street, Charlestown) at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, and then will be heading out to targeted locations in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Brookline.  We will also have staging areas in Newton and Arlington:

• Newton - meet at Starbucks, 85 Wells Ave in Newton Center; to RSVP, email coordinator Katie Sullivan (ksullivan@marthacoakley.com)
• Arlington - meet at Starbucks, 270 Broadway in Arlington; to RSVP, email coordinator Kate Foster (foster@marthacoakley.com)

 We have selected locations where signatures can either be collected inside or underneath an overhang, so we will be collecting signatures rain or shine.  You can still RSVP to join us!

International Women's Day

Throughout my life many have asked me who I consider to be a role model, and I have noted many times that I am an admirer of Eleanor Roosevelt.  Mrs. Roosevelt spent her life advocating for fairness in wage and hour laws, equal treatment for all, and access to the tools working families needed to emerge from the Depression. She also made progress for women in creative and effective ways. For example, as First Lady, she began calling press conferences, but would only permit female reporters attend.  The media scrambled to send women to cover the First Lady’s remarks, and the result was a strong, active women’s press corps covering White House activity for years.

Eleanor Roosevelt's work and mission align with the messages of International Women’s Day, which we recognize today as a celebration of “the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.”  The focus of this year’s International Women’s Day is standing united to end violence against women and girls.

Every single day around the world, women and girls are victims of verbal abuse, domestic violence, stalking, sexual and physical assault, human trafficking, and so many other acts of violence that many choose to ignore.  While progress has been made, there is much more that needs to be done to ensure the safety, well-being and respect of all women and girls.

On this International Women’s Day, consider giving your time and talents to an organization with this mission in mind.  Spend an hour on a weekend volunteering at a women’s shelter, or use your skills to organize a food drive for a local food bank, or donate a few extra dollars to a worthy non-profit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking.

Upon Mrs. Roosevelt’s death, she was remembered by the words of Adlai Stevenson -  “She would rather light candles than curse the darkness, and her glow has warmed the world."   Join with women around the globe and make an impact this International Women’s Day to end violence against women.

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!