{"id":72,"date":"2026-05-27T13:06:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worcestermovingreport.com\/?p=72"},"modified":"2026-05-27T13:06:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:06:40","slug":"a-cakewalk-for-bill-galvin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worcestermovingreport.com\/?p=72","title":{"rendered":"A cakewalk for Bill Galvin"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

THERE\u2019S LITTLE THAT <\/mark><\/strong>Secretary of State Bill Galvin has not experienced in his nearly five-decade career in elected office. But this fall, the veteran Democrat faces a situation new even to him: he does not have a single major-party opponent in his bid for yet another reelection.<\/p>\n

Read more Health care coverage for immigrants remains in limbo<\/a><\/p>\n

Galvin, who will be 76 on Election Day, is seeking a record-extending ninth term as the state\u2019s chief elections official. And for the first time in that historic span, Galvin will face neither a Republican nor a Democrat opponent en route to what now appears an inevitable victory.<\/p>\n

It will be the easiest race for statewide office in Galvin\u2019s career, and that could free him up to dedicate more attention to another priority: legalizing Election Day voter registration via a ballot question the secretary has been pursuing.<\/p>\n

Only one other prospective candidate pulled nomination papers to run for secretary of state this year, according to Galvin\u2019s office: Helen Brady, a frequent Republican contender. But Brady is not actually running, and the state Republican Party will leave both secretary of state and auditor \u2014 two of the six statewide offices up for grabs, not counting US Senate \u2014 uncontested this cycle.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first time Republicans are not fielding a candidate for state auditor since 2006. The incumbent Democrat, Diana DiZoglio, has strong support among many Republicans who like her no-punches-pulled approach to the Legislature, which has a Democratic supermajority in both branches.<\/p>\n

MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale described the narrowed list of seats Republicans will challenge as a tactical choice, though she acknowledged that \u201cvoters are best served when ideas are debated and every office is contested.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDecisions about where to dedicate finite resources are strategic realities in a state dominated by one-party rule,\u201d Carnevale said in a statement to CommonWealth Beacon<\/em>. \u201cMassachusetts Republicans are focused on rebuilding a competitive statewide operation, holding the Democratic supermajority accountable, and regaining the corner office in 2026,\u201d she said, referring to the race for governor.<\/p>\n

Granted, Galvin\u2019s opponents over the years have repeatedly fallen short of making him sweat. After eight terms in the House and a loss in the 1990 treasurer\u2019s race, Galvin won his first secretary of state contest with 55 percent of the vote in 1994, which remains the closest margin in his past three decades of campaigns.<\/p>\n

In each of the prior two terms, Galvin had to fend off challenges from his own party. He crushed then-Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim \u2014 whose father, Lenny, is a historic figure in politics and civil rights advocacy with a bridge named after him \u2014 in the 2018 Democratic primary. Four years later, Galvin trounced Boston NAACP head Tanisha Sullivan by an even wider margin.<\/p>\n

Read more How a shuttered hospital site in Lynn is being transformed into affordable housing for seniors<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, it seems as if any would-be challengers gave up before even trying to unseat Beacon Hill\u2019s \u201cPrince of Darkness,\u201d the less-than-flattering sobriquet that got attached to Galvin by rivals back in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Galvin is the longest-serving top state elections official in the country, a status he highlighted when announcing his plans to seek another term. The secretary warned he is \u201cgreatly concerned about federal efforts to interfere\u201d with the 2028 presidential election, which would fall in the middle of his next term if reelected, especially in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection attempt in Washington, DC, and Republican-incited mid-decade redistricting efforts. He\u2019s also pledged to resist federal efforts that would limit voting by mail or inhibit the 2030 decennial Census.<\/p>\n

His powers extend beyond counting ballots. The Massachusetts secretary of state is also responsible for monitoring political lobbyists, regulating securities, and overseeing the sweeping Massachusetts state archives.<\/p>\n

Well-versed in the levers of policymaking power, Galvin is leading one of the campaigns looking to leapfrog a recalcitrant Legislature and put a new law directly in front of voters for approval. His proposal, which is on the verge of locking in a spot on the November 3 ballot, would allow Bay Staters to register and vote in a single trip to the polls on Election Day if they fail to register by the current cutoff of 10 days before the election.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am convinced the resistance in the Legislature is too great, and there\u2019s still a gap we have in our electoral process,\u201d Galvin said of the idea last year. \u201cIt disproportionately affects poorer people who are tenants and move around [and] people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pitch has drawn criticism from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, whose leaders argue allowing voter registration on Election Day could further overburden city and town workers who are already strained.<\/p>\n

Early polling suggests voters are interested in the idea. A MassINC Polling Group conducted in March found 58 percent support Election Day registration compared to 35 percent who would vote no on the question.<\/p>\n

So even if Galvin has no need to expend any energy on his own reelection, he\u2019ll still have a reason to play in the campaign sandbox this season.<\/p>\n

Read more Health insurers seek double-digit premium hikes on small businesses, again<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the first time since he was elected secretary of state in 1994, Bill Galvin will not face either a Democrat or a Republican opponent this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nA cakewalk for Bill Galvin - Worcester Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worcestermovingreport.com\/?p=72\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A cakewalk for Bill Galvin - Worcester Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the first time since he was elected secretary of state in 1994, Bill Galvin will not face either a Democrat or a Republican opponent this fall.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worcestermovingreport.com\/?p=72\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Worcester Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T13:06:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690f2c82d115bde885a331998fa0eae0\"},\"headline\":\"A cakewalk for Bill Galvin\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T13:06:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72\"},\"wordCount\":854,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/66611e9058f59e120a762a8df773b70f.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worcestermovingreport.com\\\/?p=72\",\"name\":\"A cakewalk for Bill Galvin - 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