It seems that running a distant third, almost sixty points behind Democrat Deval Patrick, has inspired Independent Christy Mihos to be creative in his advertising. His new TV ad hilariously attacks the Massachusetts political establishment by colorfully pointing out the inexplicability of the fact that the Big Dig, a massive public works project to move Boston freeways underground, is 12 billion dollars over budget. The ad is a bit ribald, but well worth thirty seconds of your time. Enjoy.

Fresh off of his decisive primary victory on Tuesday, Deval Patrick received a very public warning from a conservative member of his own party that he wouldn't be electable if voters saw him as bringing Massachusetts back to "the Mike Dukakis era." The AP reports that Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty and two other Democratic legislators had high praise for Patrick's Republican opponent, Lt. Governor Kerry Healey, at a bill signing ceremony yesterday, a sign that Patrick's campaign to "change the culture on Beacon Hill" may not have resonated as well within the Democratically controlled legislature as it did with Democratic primary voters. O'Flaherty added, referring to Patrick's campaign slogan: "'In order for conservative Democrats like myself to be comfortable with the Democratic nominee, we need to know a little more about him. It needs to be a little more than 'together, we can.'" I think they'll need to start by defining "we."

GOP candidate for Governor, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey has no qualms about taking money raised by Dick Cheney at a closed-door fund-raiser, but please, just don’t take their picture together. Running as a moderate Republican in one of the most heavily Democratic states in the country, Healey has opted to neither greet the Vice-President at Logan International Airport nor bid him farewell, instead heading straight to the Harvard Club in Boston for the $2,500 ticket event, the biggest of the year for the state Republican Party. Healey has previously greeted national GOP leaders at the airport such as President Bush in 2004.

Wealthy businessman Christy Mihos's ballot petitions have been certified, approving him for a place on the November ballot as an Independent. State Democrats reportedly believe Mihos's platform--which includes promises to reduce taxes and fees--may siphon off voters who would have been inclined towards Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

A bit late, but in the most recent poll out of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick (D) has taken the lead among the Democratic candidates for governor. The Suffolk University poll has Patrick leading fellow Democrats Tom Reilly and Chris Gabrieli 31% to 25% and 31% to 22% respectively. Gabrieli has had a bump from the last poll--15% to 22%--after pouring significant amounts of his own money into the race and buying lots of ad time. All three candidates lead Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R) in the general election match ups, with Gabrieli polling best against her (42%-23%). The Democratic primary is on September 19th.

Lawyer and former Clinton Administration official Deval Patrick (D) is leading in a poll for the democratic primary in Massachusetts. In the poll, 36% of the respondents support Patrick, 31% back Attorney General Tom Reilly (D), and 23% support businessman Chris Gabrielli (D). The numbers have not changed much since April: Patrick is holding steady while Reilly has slipped a bit and Gabrielli has gained 4 points.