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BOSTON -- Lt. Governor Tim Murray today released a Web video challenging Republican Charlie Baker to finally come clean and answer two important questions during the first televised gubernatorial debate this evening:

QUESTION #1 - "Charlie: What did you know about the Big Dig cost overruns, and when did you know it?"
 
QUESTION #2 - "Charlie: When will you admit that raising health insurance premiums on families, businesses, and cities and towns is a brutal tax that has killed thousands of jobs across Massachusetts?"
 


"Charlie Baker has so far refused to be honest about his role as the architect of the failed Big Dig financing scheme, and as a health insurance CEO who raised premiums by 150 percent, killing jobs" said Lt. Governor Murray. "The people of Massachusetts deserve honest answers, beginning at the debate."

"Charlie Baker has been misleading voters time and again on the campaign trail, and now he's been caught broadcasting blatantly false information in his new TV ad, claiming we have never 'cut a thing.'"

"The truth is that Governor Patrick and I have eliminated more than 2,700 positions in state government, instituted furloughs for all 5,000 managers, and negotiated major concessions from public employee unions. We understand that state government, much like families across the Commonwealth, has to do more with less in these tough times. Charlie Baker knows this and he has again failed to tell the truth in his TV ad."

Charlie Baker has already misled voters about his role as the architect of the Big Dig financing scheme, and as a former health insurance CEO who oversaw a triple digit increases in premiums for small businesses and working families. Now he is misleading voters about the Patrick-Murray record of cutting thousands of positions in state government.

Baker Caught Misleading Voters with Business Surrogate

BOSTON ­- Republican Charles Baker's efforts to mislead voters continued with revelations today that he used a campaign surrogate to falsely blame his business bankruptcy on Governor Patrick during a recent Baker campaign press conference.

The Boston Globe today reported that Baker's campaign surrogate actually cheated his workers out of $268,000 in wages, was fined nearly $100,000 by the Attorney General's office, and owes more than $27,000 in unpaid taxes to Quincy and Holbrook. Right before filing for bankruptcy, Baker's surrogate ran up $40,000 on luxury items on his American Express card and contributed $2,000 to Baker and his running mate since filing for bankruptcy. 

"Charlie Baker's campaign has a real credibility problem, and this is just the latest example of Baker being caught in the act of misleading voters," said Lt. Gov. Tim Murray. "Charlie Baker wasn't honest about his role in the Big Dig, he wasn't honest about his role in raising health insurance premiums at Harvard Pilgrim, and now he's not being honest about the his own campaign surrogates and their business problems."

"It is unfathomable that the campaign would knowingly trot out a business owner to blame his problems on Governor Patrick, when reports show that he has major problems which have nothing to do with the state," added Murray.

While Charlie Baker continues to mislead voters, the fact is that under the leadership of the Patrick-Murray Administration, Massachusetts continues to add new jobs, is recovering from the economic recession faster and stronger than the rest of the country, and was recently ranked as the 5th Best State for Business by CNBC.

WORCESTER - Republican Charles Baker's campaign issued a slap to commuters traveling between Boston and the Central Mass and MetroWest regions yesterday, calling the Patrick-Murray plan to expand rail services for these areas not worthwhile. 



On WBZ-radio yesterday, Baker's running mate Richard Tisei said he is against funding the commuter rail expansions, and only supports funding for existing transportation infrastructure.

Baker and Tisei have also stated their distaste for the Patrick-Murray administration's move to bring commuter rail back to the SouthCoast.



"This is typical of the Beacon Hill establishment attitude held by Charles Baker and Richard Tisei," said Lt. Gov. Murray. "First Baker and Tisei say 'no' to SouthCoast Rail, now they say it's not worth the money to expand commuter rail options for workers and families in Central Mass and MetroWest."

"Charles Baker and Richard Tisei either don't know, or don't care about projects designed to help people outside of Route 128," said Murray.

BOSTON -- While Republicans at the national level have stood in the way of unemployment benefits, here in Massachusetts, Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker is also aligned with the national GOP and recently spoke out against extending these benefits. 
 
Baker has also proposed to increase the number of weeks you must have worked in order to be eligible for benefits from 15 to 20 weeks. That means over 12,000 Massachusetts workers would have lost their benefits in 2009 had Baker's proposal been enacted. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray today released a statement on Charlie Baker's recent out-of-touch comments and positions on providing unemployment insurance for Massachusetts workers:
 
"People who are eligible for unemployment, have a proven work history and played by the rules, need unemployment benefits now more than ever to pay their bills and put food on the table. In addition to being a desperately needed lifeline for the unemployed and their families, it also supports our local businesses because those funds are going directly into the Massachusetts economy.
 
"It is sad that Charlie Baker has aligned himself with national Republicans on this issue and wants to deny extending unemployment insurance for Massachusetts workers. This is further evidence that Charlie Baker is woefully out-of-touch with the needs of regular people." 

(Source: AP: Gov. Patrick backs Obama in jobless benefits extension)

BOSTON -- Lt. Gov. Tim Murray today released the following statement on Charlie Baker's tacit collusion with the Republican Governors Association and its Chair Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who has been blanketing Massachusetts with millions of dollars of negative ads to help elect Baker.

While Haley Barbour was bragging about launching a new round of ads to attack Patrick, Baker was at the same time planning a fundraiser with Barbour, according to the Associated Press, and working with another Republican Governor to fund more TV ads. (Sources below)
 
"First Charlie Baker feigns concern about negative ads, and then he sits idly by as the Chair of the RGA, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour waltzes into Massachusetts and brags about his new TV ads attacking Gov. Patrick. Now we learn that Charlie Baker and the Republican Governors have been working behind the scenes all along to raise money for more TV ads.
 
"Charlie Baker is becoming a modern day Eddie Haskell. In public, he pretends to be squeaky clean, but in private, he's working behind the scenes with the Chair of the RGA, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who is a disciple of the Lee Atwater-Newt Gingrich school of negative politics."

BOSTON -- Lt. Gov. Tim Murray today released the following statement on Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Sen. Richard Tisei's decision to schedule a session of the State Senate on casino gaming and then skip his own session to attend campaign events. (Sources below)
 
"It is unbelievable that Richard Tisei would schedule a Senate session on casino gaming and then skip his own session to hit the campaign trail. I guess this is the type of behavior we can expect from a Beacon Hill insider like Senator Tisei.
 
"If Charlie Baker says he wants to change the way Beacon Hill does business, why did he hand-pick a 25-year Beacon Hill insider like Richard Tisei, who uses procedural tactics to delay the casino debate and then fails to show up to work for his own session?
 
"Furthermore, if elected with Charlie Baker, Senator Tisei says he will continue to operate his real estate company, which would essentially make him a part-time Lieutenant Governor. It is clear that Richard Tisei cares more about his personal business than the peoples business."

Sources:
·      (AP, 6.26.10, Mass. Senate denied Saturday session on gambling)
·      (6.26.10, Baker-Tisei public schedule)
·      (6.26.10, TiseiforLG twitter account)

WORCESTER ­-- In a story published today by GateHouse Media New England, Steven Ryan reported that, "Baker felt the state shouldn't invest too much in particular sectors of the economy. He said education and health care are major sectors within Route 128 but noted that isn't necessarily the case in the rest of the state."

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray today released the following statement:
 
"Charlie Baker's lack of understanding of the regional economies outside of Route 128 is frightening. The health care and educational sectors are major economic forces in many regions of the state, to say nothing of the lives they change through education, research and health care.
 
"I think people in the Pioneer Valley and Worcester County would be especially surprised to learn that education and health care are not important parts of their communities. Someone needs to tell Charlie Baker that Route 128 is not the border of Massachusetts."

BOSTON ­ Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray today released the following statement on Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Richard Tisei's plans to serve as a part-time lieutenant governor if elected, while continuing his work as broker and owner of a real-estate company. (Source: State House News Service, 5.24.10)
 
"When I became lieutenant governor, I gave up my law practice because I believe the taxpayers of Massachusetts deserve a full-time advocate as their lieutenant governor. And after nearly four years on the job, I know first-hand that's what it takes.
 
"I think it's outrageous that Richard Tisei plans to continue working in his real estate business as a part-time lieutenant governor if elected. I guess after 25 years on Beacon Hill he's gotten used to the idea of working part-time while collecting a full-time salary and benefits from taxpayers.

"This again calls Charles Baker's judgment into question. By hand picking a running mate who intends to be a part-time lieutenant governor, Baker insults taxpayers and working families. Tisei has collected a salary, per diems, and a pension as a part-time legislator. Does Charles Baker intend to let Tisei use the lieutenant governor's office to simply fatten his pension? The people of Massachusetts deserve better."
 

BOSTON - Saturday, April 17, 2010 - The Deval Patrick and Tim Murray campaign today issued the following fact check of Republican Charles Baker's Massachusetts GOP state convention remarks.

Lt. Gov. Tim Murray officially kicked off his re-election campaign alongside Gov. Deval Patrick April 10-11, with rallies and events in nearly 20 communities across the state.

The energy and and excitement on the trail was incredible, thanks to the thousands of supporters who joined Tim and Deval at these events. Check out some of the sights and sounds of the campaign trail by clicking on the multimedia links below. 

Video Clips:

• Tim's speech at the Boston rally
  
• Tim with veterans at the Chelsea Soldiers' Home
  
• Tim with seniors at Brandon Woods of Dartmouth
  
• Rally with Tim and Gov. Patrick at the Blue Ox in Lynn

Photos:

• Photos from rallies in Boston, Worcester, Holyoke & Lynn

Speech:

• Read the text of Tim's speech from the Boston rally

The Deval Patrick committee today released its first ad on boston.com. The ad focuses on small businesses and the Governor's plan to help them create jobs by limiting skyrocketing health insurance rate increases.

Since 1999, premiums have gone up a total of 131 percent -- far more rapidly than workers' wages. The Governor's plan will provide emergency relief so that small businesses - which make up 85% of the state's economy - can start hiring.

BOSTON - According to today's Boston Globe, when reporters asked to talk with Republican Charles Baker about the Governor's plan to help small businesses by limiting rising health care premiums, "the Baker campaign said Baker was not available."
 
Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray today released the following statement on Baker's decision to go into hiding to avoid discussing his role as an executive of a health insurance company that made millions of dollars in profits presiding over skyrocketing rates.
 
"The fact that Charles Baker is in hiding proves that he's been missing in action all along on one of the most important issues facing working families and small businesses in Massachusetts.
 
"While Governor Patrick and I are taking direct action now to help create jobs, and alleviate the burden of skyrocketing health insurance rates, Baker won't even tell voters how he feels about this issue.
 
"Charles Baker is hiding from the fact that he worked at the highest-level of an industry that jacked up rates by 131% in the past decade, and made millions off the backs of small businesses and working families. But the truth is, Mr. Baker can't hide from his record forever."

BOSTON - Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray today released the following statement on Republican Charles Baker's support[1] of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow special interests and even foreign corporations[2] to spend unlimited amounts of money on our elections.
 
"This week Charles Baker revealed his support for special interests and foreign corporations in their bid to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections right here in Massachusetts, and across the nation.
 
"Baker wants to open the floodgates to a new wave of campaign ads this November, funded by special interests and companies that aren't even based in America.
 
"It is becoming more and more clear that Baker is the candidate of special interests and powerful corporations, and will be indebted to them-and not the people of Massachusetts-if elected governor."


[1] (NECN, 1/26/10, BroadSide with Jim Braude: Charlie Baker on Governor' Race
http://www.necn.com/pages/landing?blockID=169315)

[2] (The Wall Street Journal, 1/29/10, Foreign spending on politics fought
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704194504575031584009869108.html)
 

BOSTON - Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray today released the following statement on Treasurer Tim Cahill's selection of former Republican Representative Paul Loscocco as his running mate:

"I welcome Republican Representative Paul Loscocco to the campaign as Treasurer Cahill's running mate.

"Voters will have a clear choice in this election, with three challengers who want to retreat to the failed policies of the past, and Governor Patrick and I who are working hard to keep Massachusetts moving forward."