From The Gov’s Mouth: Optimism Was Key

Gov. Deval Patrick and his wife, Diane, at their Election Night victory party (Dominick Reuter for WBUR)

Defying the voter anger that tossed out so many incumbents this election season, Gov. Deval Patrick today credited his optimistic message for his impressive re-election victory.

“I think that the message … of this election is that an optimistic campaign with a plan to back it up is a winning campaign and winning political strategy,” Patrick said to media in his corner office.

Throughout the campaign, we documented the difference in tone between Patrick and Republican Charlie Baker. Patrick was more personal, more empathetic. He took the glass half-full approach. Baker, on the other hand, tried to tap into the voter anger narrative, and said he was the leader to turn things around, like he did at Harvard Pilgrim.

Here’s how State House News Service put it:

On the campaign trail, Patrick frequently spoke about how the voters he encountered were not “angry, but scared.” … Baker, in contrast, adopted the tone of a frustrated voter with his “Had Enough?” message.

Our Democratic analyst, Dan Payne, asked this a week before the election:

Would you rather put your faith in a governor who sees hope and a brighter future, or do you choose a candidate who sees government as purely numbers and believes Massachusetts is on the conveyor belt to economic hell?

Over-the-top, yes, but it’s a distinction of tone the governor consciously tapped into throughout his campaign. And Massachusetts voters have put their faith in Patrick once again.