Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly, recognizing the huge role that racial politics will play in this year’s gubernatorial race, selects Marie St. Fleur, a Haitian immigrant state representative, as his running mate.

This is a very shrewd move by Reilly, as the presence of St. Fleur (who has impeccable left-wing credentials) on Reilly’s team will dull some of the progressive ardor for Deval Patrick. Reilly was widely seen as not being palatable enough to the left to secure the Democratic nomination, but with the selection of St. Fleur, he has bolstered his liberal credentials considerably.

How will Patrick respond? My guess is that he’ll select lefty Stop & Shop heiress Deborah Goldberg as his running mate, forcing Bay State Democrats to choose between an all-liberal team (Patrick & Goldberg) or a "moderate"/liberal mix (Reilly & St. Fleur). Patrick must now be concerned about losing his liberal luster; while he was expected to derive strong support from those who felt Reilly wasn’t blue enough for their tastes, Reilly’s selection of St. Fleur alters that perception. I still think Patrick will ultimately secure the Democratic nomination, but he’s going to have to sweat a little more.

UPDATE: This evening, Howie Carr noted that in the Democratic primary, voters can select the governor-lieutenant governor combo of their choice, which means that in theory Democrats could select a Patrick-St. Fleur ticket to challenge the Republicans in November. I doubt that such a hard-left ticket could win; the problem, of course, is that if they lose, we’ll never hear the end of phony racism allegations (and if they win, we’ll have the clothes taxed off our backs!)

SECOND UPDATE: More from the Globe and Herald.

THIRD UPDATE: St. Fleur mired in scandal. More from the Globe and Herald.