Political jostling for the upcoming 2022 statewide races continued Monday with announcements from state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, who jumped into the auditor’s race, and Rep. Tami Gouveia, and Brett Bero, a former small business owner, announcing bids for lieutenant governor.
“Massachusetts people have too often been left in the dark due to the secretive and inaccessible culture of centralized power on Beacon Hill,” DiZoglio said in a statement announcing her run for the auditor’s seat.
The Methuen Democrat is the third to jump into the race on the heels of fellow Dems Chris Dempsey, a transportation advocate, and Governor’s Councilor Eileen Duff. So far no Republicans have expressed interest in the seat.
Incumbent Suzanne Bump became the first of the state’s six constitutional officers to announce 2022 plans, when she said she would not seek re-election.
DiZoglio referenced her track record of taking on “the powerful Beacon Hill establishment” in her quest for increased transparency and accountability in the Legislature.
She touted her work to “shine a bright light” on the abuse of nondisclosure agreements by the politically powerful “to silence” victims about harassment, discrimination and abuse. If elected, she’d start by digging into a collection of no-bid contracts awarded by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration amid the pandemic and by investigating the deadly coronavirus outbreak that killed 77 veterans.
“Our communities deserve a state auditor who is not afraid to speak truth to power and who has the proven track record of standing up for what’s right even when it means standing alone.
Rep. Tami Gouveia, a progressive, kicked off her campaign for lieutenant governor on Monday, calling for universal pre-kindergarten, debt-free higher education and Medicare for All as she became the first Democrat to jump into the 2022 field.
The Acton Democrat was first elected to the Legislature in 2018.
Bero, a Babson College business professor and former small business owner, also launched his “exploratory campaign” for lieutenant governor on Monday. Bero teaches strategic problem solving, management consulting and business turnarounds, joining the faculty after selling his Orange-based deep-draw metal forming company ECHO Industries in 2019.
“I’m exploring a run for Lieutenant Governor because Massachusetts is at an inflection point,” Bero said. “The decisions we make about our economic recovery post COVID-19 will define the character of our Commonwealth for the next decade.”
Herald wire services contributed to this report.
By ERIN TIERNAN | etiernan@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
PUBLISHED: June 7, 2021 at 2:37 p.m. | UPDATED: June 7, 2021 at 2:46 p.m.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/06/07/diana-dizoglio-jumps-into-auditors-race-tami-gouveia-running-for-lt-gov-as-more-massachusetts-statewide-candidates-emerge/