Hayes-Benson race picks up steam

The State House race between Democrat Jen Benson and Independent-cum-Republican Kurt Hayes in Middlesex County's 37th District seat has picked up recently. The two candidates are taking different approaches in their battle for the seat, which was left open by Rep. Jamie Eldridge's run for the state Senate.Jen Benson (D)

The district has trended Democrat in recent years. Eldrige (D-Acton), who is considered quite progressive in the district, carried every town in the last election, said Dennis Bradley, the chair of the Harvard Democratic Town Committee. Eldridge's success, Bradley said, suggests that the majority of the district is willing to back a progressive Democrat. The largest town in the district, Acton, is also the most progressive town in the district, which should help Benson tremendously.

Bradley said the race has been going well for Benson so far. "From my vantage point, the campaign seems to be going really well," he said. "She got off to an early start and she has a well-organized campaign. I would certainly say that at this point she seems to be the stronger candidate."

Benson is currently serving her sixth year on the Lunenburg School Committee, which she now chairs. Her campaign is rooted in that experience, which, she said, has prepared her to work in the state legislature to improve the education system and secure more money for the district. Education, she said, is one of the most important issues facing the community.

"Education is one of the biggest services our state provides," she said. "It effects our future. The children are the leaders of tomorrow."

Benson has also worked as the committee's liaison to the town's finance committee, so she said she has an understanding with the budget process.

"I have a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge now how state funding is affecting the town," she said. "That experience, on a broad level in a town, is very important. That relationship between the town and the state is vital."

But, Bradley added, the district's recent voting doesn't mean Benson can coast to a win. In Harvard, he said, party registration breaks down evenly between Republicans and Democrats but the majority of voters are unaffiliated. This trend also appears in other towns in the district and these voters, technically independents, could be up for grabs in the race. Bradley also insisted there is a strong "conservative presence" in all of the towns, which could work against Benson.

While Acton tends to be the most progressive town in the district, Boxborough and Lunenburg are also trending left, but are more conservative fiscally. A tension in those areas exists between families that have been rooted in the community for years and those that have more recently moved into the district. Those families tend to be more progressive.

Kurt Hayes (R)Benson also faces a tough challenger in Hayes, who isn't a traditional Republican. Hayes ran for Congress in the special election in 2007 for the 5th District seat as an independent. He said that even after losing that contest to Niki Tsongas, he was still committed to serving the people in the community. He registered as a Republican, he said, because he found it hard to raise money, get invited to debates and run a full campaign in 2007 without major party backing.

Hayes is molding an outsider campaign based on comparing his business credentials - he is a longtime employee of IBM - with Benson's municipal career.

"This year, there are a lot of pocket book issues that people are focusing on," he said. "They know that in order to get some results they need change and to get change, we have to stand up to bureaucracy."

Hayes also recently benefited from a Benson campaign misstep in mid-June. Benson was caught accepting campaign donations in a public building, a violation of campaign finance laws. Benson has since owned up to the mistake and said the campaign is moving forward.

"It was a very minor mistake," she said. "I was handed an envelope and didn't know what was in it. I will never do that again. It was an honest mistake and we have gone above and beyond what was asked of us to correct it and we're moving on."

That mistake, plus a strong showing in the more fiscally conservative areas and those rooted voters could boost Hayes' chances, said Christine Doucette, chair of the Boxborough Republican Town Committee, and it is why Hayes is playing up his business credentials.

"He's going to have to do well throughout the district to win," Doucette said. "People are sick of tax overrides and high taxes. One of the big things Kurt Hayes is focusing on is fiscal responsibility. We have to live within our means."

When asked why he is a better choice for the district, Hayes immediately invoked a business analogy. "In the real world of business, we have to always be looking to serve our customers better and at the same time doing things more efficiently," he said. "If we don't, we don't survive. As I talk to folks, we could certainly use that approach to the state government."

When asked how she plans to differentiate herself from Hayes, the former independent, Benson said she only plans to worry about her message and her campaign.

"My focus is talking with voters every day and having a serious conversation," she said. "I am not focusing at all on his campaign. I am focusing on what I need to do to help this district."

"I am running a very serious campaign," she added. "I'm a very practical person. I am not interested in political games."