Posts Tagged ‘Massachusetts’

From telegram.com:

Republican candidate for attorney general James P. McKenna stopped by the Worcester Police Department yesterday to pick up the endorsements of the department’s two officers unions, and to criticize incumbent Attorney General Martha Coakley for what he characterized as lax prosecution of public corruption and illegal immigration.

Police Officers Local 911 and Worcester Police Officials Local 504 held a brief press conference in front of the station, with officers pointing out that the department worked with Mr. McKenna when he served as an assistant district attorney for former Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte.

“He has successfully prosecuted public corruption and organized crime cases,” Officer Thomas Daly said. “He’s the most qualified for the job of attorney general. We know his work ethic and integrity.

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From wcvbtv:

Jim McKenna, running for state attorney general against Martha Coakley, got on the big stage on Tuesday with Republican ticket leader Charlie Baker during a news conference.

Republican McKenna chose to attack Democrat and incumbent Coakley on the one issue that she said he’s most vulnerable: illegal immigration.

“While she claims to be a tough cop, her inadequate record speaks volumes. It’s not surprising that Martha Coakley is a creature of Beacon Hill who goes along to get along,” McKenna said.

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From JimforAG.com:

“These are impressive numbers for a guy who made it on the ballot at the last minute with a statewide write-in campaign.”

Poll question: “And, what if the candidates for Attorney General of Massachusetts were Republican James P. McKenna and Democrat Martha Coakley, for whom would you vote?

Martha Coakley 48%
Jim McKenna 39%
Don’t Know 13%”

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From lowellsun.com:

The movie Conviction opens in several Boston area theaters this weekend and Coakley plays the movie’s villain — the district attorney portrayed as ignoring DNA evidence and stalling the release of an innocent man who was sentenced to life in prison for murder.

Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank is already receiving Oscar buzz for her role in the true story of Betty Anne Waters, a working mother of two who earns her GED, college degree and law degree in her fight to free her brother from prison.

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From the Boston Herald:

Who says Attorney General Martha Coakley is thin-skinned?

After watching Hilary Swank call her an “evil bitch” in the new film “Conviction,” Martha came out of Tuesday night’s sneak preview convinced that Swank’s portrayal of the doggedly determined Betty Anne Waters is “the best thing (Swank) has ever done.”

As a movie fan, Martha Coakley found it easy to be swept up in what she called “a modern parable of a young woman’s determined and heroic effort to find justice for her brother.”

But as the former Middlesex district attorney, who plays a small but crucial role in the real-life story of Kenneth Waters’ ultimate vindication in June of 2001, Coakley found it impossible to completely suspend her disbelief regarding a key fact Hollywood chose to gloss over.

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From jimforag.com:

From Boston.com:

“We don’t know the facts here yet,’’ McKenna said during his first debate yesterday with Martha Coakley, the Democratic incumbent. “But this case may put the death penalty back on the table.’’

Four people were killed in the shootings early Tuesday, including a 2-year old child.

Coakley, who is seeking reelection after her defeat to Scott Brown in January’s special US Senate election, said she opposes capital punishment; in the past, she had supported it in certain instances. “I am against it,’’ she said simply.

Massachusetts lawmakers have repeatedly turned aside efforts to reinstate the death penalty, citing a lack of evidence that it deters crime and the possibility of executing an innocent convict.

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From Boston Globe:

McKenna, 49, became only the second politician since the 1970s to qualify for the general election ballot as a statewide write-in candidate, after he received more than 10,000 votes in the Septem ber primary.

“It is time to restore trust in our government,’’ the former prosecutor said at the state Republican Party’s headquarters in Boston. “The Beacon Hill boys and girls club is a free-for-all of waste, fraud, and corruption, where holier-than-thou attitudes prevail and the special interests run the show.

“I’ve listened to the people, and they say, ‘No more,’ and I agree.’’

McKenna accused Coakley of “sitting idly by’’ instead of aggressively prosecuting political corruption.

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From boston.com:

James P. McKenna, the Republican hoping to unseat Attorney General Martha Coakley, launched his campaign today with a vow to crack down on public corruption and illegal immigration and a strong defense of his voting record, which includes a few missed elections.

“It is time to restore trust in our government,” McKenna said in a four-minute speech at the headquarters of the state Republican Party in downtown Boston. “The Beacon Hill boys and girls club is a free-for-all of waste, fraud and corruption, where holier-than-thou attitudes prevail and the special interests run the show.”

“I’ve listened to the people and they say, ‘No more,’ and I agree,” McKenna continued. “No more sitting by while Beacon Hill engages in criminal activity while the attorney general sits idly by, making excuses about their hands getting tied,” McKenna said, pointing to the federal corruption charges against state Senator Dianne Wilkerson. “We know real leaders don’t let their hands get tied. Real leaders act.”

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