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Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Personality Contest Lacks Larger Than Life Candidate

BOSTON (CBS) – The race for Boston mayor has really heated-up over the past week. And the rhetoric has gotten tough. Even though both of the candidates are Democrats.

They play for the same team and overlap on any number of issues.

And for that reason this race has, for many voters, turned into a personality contest.

Even Rep. Marty Walsh conceded to that when he joined me yesterday on the radio.

But Walsh and John Connolly share more than their views on some issues. They also both want a bit of the magic that Mayor Tom Menino has used to stay in office for 20 years and to remain popular with the people.

Because that's all it might take to win this race.

Granted, turnout and ground operations are huge. And will likely decide this race.

But if this is indeed a personality contest the great irony of this race is that it's running short on personality.

Connolly and Walsh appear to be good men with good intentions and I have enjoyed getting to know both of them. But neither is a larer-than-life personality. That's not a knock on them. It's just the nature of who they are. Or aren't, as the case may be.

There's no school for candidates to learn how to campaign. You learn on the job. Same for being mayor. And the man who gets that job could learn a few things from Tom Menino. Or for that matter Ray Flynn. Because when things get tough at City Hall personality is sometimes all you have.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz

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