The Republican State Leadership Committee aims in next year's elections to end the supermajorities that Democrats enjoy in the Massachusetts House and Senate, part of a multi-prong effort to advance Republicans in various state Legislatures.
The group, which plans to spend $40 million on 2015-2016 legislative races, announced that Massachusetts would be one of its focuses from its national meeting in Boston on Thursday. The Bay State will share attention with the Illinois House, as well as Republican legislatures hoping to defend their ranks and the six chambers where the group sees the best chance to pick up a majority: the Colorado House, Kentucky House, Washington House, Iowa Senate, Minnesota Senate, and New Mexico Senate.
Gov. Charlie Baker is set on Wednesday to personally introduce his first judicial pick to the Governor's Council, which will hold a public hearing on Judge Scott Kafker's nomination to serve as chief justice of the Appeals Court.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito plans to join Baker at the 11 a.m. hearing on Wednesday in the Governor's Council chamber, according to a Baker aide. Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Robert Cordy, who served with Baker and Kafker in Gov. William Weld's administration, is expected to testify on Kafker's behalf.
