Was Martha Coakley's 2014 loss really her fault?

[JMT]

Unfortunately the Democratic establishment in Massachusetts is very sexist. They really railroaded her up there. Eventually they came around, in the final days, but it was too little, too late.

I don't think there is any evidence to support this. The establishment was largely behind Coakley's Senate bid in 2010, supported Elizabeth Warren's senate bid in 2012 (other candidates dropped out to clear the primary for her), and even though there was a strong challenge in 2014 from Steve Grossman (who I supported), much of the establishment appeared to be behind Coakley in her 2014 Governor bid and was clear she would be the nominee. So in recent years, I don't see this sexism you're referring to.

[JMT]

Shannon OBrian and Kerry Healey & Martha Coakley all lost gov races too. Mass, except for Elizabeth Warren exceptional Sen run, havent had female statewide officials. And Coakley was a retread as well, just like Scott Brown in NH.

While it is true we have never had an elected female governor (Jane Swift was Gov for a bit, but she wasn't elected to that position), I think the candidates you mentioned who didn't win failed not because of their gender but rather due to other circumstances. 2006 was a political environment very favorable to democrats, and MA being a deep blue state and Deval Patrick being a very strong candidate / Mitt Romney approval ratings going down, it makes sense that Kerry Healey (Romney's Lieutenant Governor) lost by so much. Coakley's loses can partially be blamed by national political environments as well, as her senate and gubernatorial races occurred in years where republicans performed strongly around the country. Also, Coakley just wasn't a great candidate, it seemed as if she always assumed she'd win in deep blue MA so she didn't put the necessary effort in to win her races. So sure, a female hasn't been elected governor yet, but we've elected a female senator (Elizabeth Warren), and our LT Gov (Karyn Polito), state treasurer (Deb Goldberg), state auditor (Suzanne Bump), and Attorney General (Maura Healey) are all women. So I don't think MA voters are afraid of electing women to office, the stars just haven't aligned yet for Governor races.

[JMT]

She did much better then, but we can all agree that Steven Grossman would have made the DNC send more resources his way. Of course he'd do better. The infrastructure crumbled because Grossman set it up, handed it to Coakley, and she stashed it somewhere she never used it. I really hope Grossman, as a former Dean staffer, tries again at running for something. Maybe when his Rep. or Markey retires?

I agree, Grossman would've been a better candidate. I supported him in the primary. But I do think he is probably done with elected office. Markey was just reelected in 2014, and Grossman is 69 years old. However, maybe he could launch a bid against Baker in 2018? Could be his last shot at the governorship / statewide office. I'm doubtful though, I don't think Grossman is running for anything