The state party chose her opponent, real estate developer James Rappaport, at its state convention, but Healey defeated Rappaport handily in the primary.

Romney says he would lead the state’s economic recovery by establishing regional boards to create jobs and targeting industries with competitive advantage.

“I’m committed to bringing new jobs to the Commonwealth. That’s something I’ve spent my lifetime doing,” Romney said at the Oct. 9 gubernatorial debate. “I’ve worked in the private sector. I’ve created new jobs here in Massachusetts with brand new small companies, one of my own.”

Double Jeopardy

O’Brien has already fought and won one tough election battle this year.

In order to earn her place as the Democratic candidate on Tuesday’s ballot, she defeated three other Democrats—former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, State Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham ’72 and former state legislator Warren E. Tolman—in the Sept. 17 primary.

O’Brien, the current state treasurer, is the first woman elected to that position and says her fiscal management skills will help her strengthen the state’s economy.

She pledges to restore the secretary of economic affairs to cabinet status, reform the budget process and work to make the state an attractive market for business—especially those already in the state.

“By focusing on those businesses that are here right now, working with them to find out what we can do as a Commonwealth to cut their costs of doing business, to keep those jobs here,” she argued at the debate.

O’Brien’s “Smart-Growth Plan” also lays out a blueprint for sustainable development—managing growth while protecting the economy.

She plans to improve state education by reducing class size in the early grades, improving adult education, teacher training and targeting under-performing schools.

Green and ‘Clean’

After Tolman went down to defeat in the September primary, Stein is the only Clean Elections candidate on the Nov. 5 ballot.

But unlike Tolman, the Green Party candidate has never seen a dime of Clean Elections funds.

She had originally expected more than $3 million in public money, but she failed to gather the requisite 6,000 small contributions necessary to qualify, and she has spent less than $3,000 since the primary.