Even so — and even if the Killer Coke story peters out — the whole episode bodes poorly for Reilly’s political future. The e-mails Vennochi obtained were apparently sent to a few members of Reilly’s inner circle, including top advisers Will Keyser and John Stefanini. These messages may have leaked out inadvertently. But it’s more likely they were disclosed intentionally, as part of an internal battle over the course of Reilly’s candidacy. “The sign of a campaign in free fall is when insiders are tagging other people with blame for the failed campaign,” says the aforementioned Democratic insider. “And when that starts before you actually lose, it’s a problem. If somebody on the inside leaked this e-mail, that’s a circular firing squad.”
Back in February, after Marie St. Fleur’s one-day stint as Reilly’s running mate came to a close, Reilly held a press conference and stated the obvious. “Politics are not my strong suit,” the AG announced. “I have to work and improve on the politics of this campaign.” Six months on, he doesn’t seem to have succeeded. If Democratic voters give Reilly the nod on primary day, they’ll know exactly what they’re getting.
Related:
Ship without a rudder, Reversal of fortune, Kicking and screaming, More 
- Ship without a rudder
It’s a simple question: other than the candidate — who has a day job, after all — who is running Attorney General Tom Reilly’s campaign for governor?
- Reversal of fortune
On January 30, Tom Reilly — the Democratic attorney general and would-be governor of Massachusetts — was supposed to formally announce that Chris Gabrieli, the wealthy Democratic activist from Boston, was joining his campaign as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
- Kicking and screaming
Every four years, right around Labor Day, the interests of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and the Democratic candidates for governor become almost totally divergent.
- The Dems are coming
Here are three admittedly subjective, shoot-from-the-hip snapshots of the three Democratic candidates for governor.
- Deval’s dance with labor
One of the most revealing currents political observers will soon be watching is how Governor Deval Patrick deals with organized labor.
- Plogging away
When asked about the Internet, most political candidates will dutifully tell you that it’s the wave of the future, or the wave of the present, or the greatest thing since chocolate-chip bagels, or … zzzzzz … wake me when baseball’s post-season starts.
- Imagine all the Democrats
There are two big things worth knowing about the battle for the Democratic governor’s nomination. The race is a doozy and barely anyone cares.
- Ground game
Forget Deval Patrick’s 5000-person rally on Boston Common last weekend. A humbler event that took place a few days earlier — an October 11 community meeting in Quincy — offers keener insight into the Patrick-campaign ethos.
- Survivor: Worcester
It’s the question of the moment in state politics: when the Massachusetts Democratic Party wraps up its 2006 convention on June 3, will all three Democratic candidates for governor still be standing?
- Reilly should exit - side
- Gabrieli’s promise
If the Democrats are serious about recapturing the governor’s office, they should make sure their statewide convention this weekend puts Chris Gabrieli’s name on the ballot.
- Less
Topics:
Talking Politics
, Deval Patrick, Frank Phillips, U.S. Government, More
, Deval Patrick, Frank Phillips, U.S. Government, U.S. State Government, Election Campaigns, Elections and Voting, Politics, U.S. Politics, Political Parties, U.S. Democratic Party Politics, Less
