Ballot shortfall heats up a ho-hum race

Incumbent wages write-in campaign

Just one name is on the ballot, yet a spirited Democratic race is underway for state representative in the 34th Middlesex district.

Two-term Democratic incumbent Carl M. Sciortino of Medford failed to submit enough nomination signatures to qualify for the Sept. 16 primary ballot. That left three-term Somerville Alderman Robert C. Trane as the only ballot candidate in the district, which includes parts of Medford and Somerville.

But Sciortino, first elected in 2004 when he upset eight-term Democratic incumbent Vincent P. Ciampa of Somerville, is waging a vigorous write-in campaign. No one else is seeking the seat, so the primary winner will have a clear path to the State House in November.

That the incumbent is forced to seek write-in votes has elevated interest in what might otherwise have been a low-key race.

As a four-year incumbent with an active campaign organization and as someone who has resided in both cities - he moved to Medford from Somerville two years ago - Sciortino remains a formidable candidate. But the higher hurdle he faces as a non-ballot candidate should bolster the chances of Trane, who brings his own visibility as an elected official in Somerville.

Sciortino acknowledges the challenge involved in a write-in bid. But he said he is optimistic about his chances based on the energetic effort his campaign is mounting, which includes knocking on doors across the district and distributing stickers that voters can use to cast ballots for him.

"I'm confident based on the reactions we are getting that election day is looking good," he said.

Trane, for his part, said Sciortino's failure to make the ballot has not diminished his effort. "I'm campaigning straight out like any other candidate would," he said. "I'm knocking on doors every night of the week."

A self-employed real estate agent, Trane, 46, is taking sharp aim at his opponent on the issue of reforming Beacon Hill. "I'm running on a campaign for change," he said. "I feel people are tired of insider politics as usual on Beacon Hill."

Trane contended that Sciortino had failed to deliver on a pledge to be a reformer in the House. Instead, he said, Sciortino has taken "thousands of donations from various special interest groups." He pointed to campaign contributions Sciortino has received from unions and a donation he received in 2004 - the day after his primary win over Ciampa - from then House Speaker Thomas Finneran's political action committee.

Replied Sciortino, "I've received support from teachers, from nurses, from social workers, from the police, from environmentalists, from gay rights groups, from women's rights groups. . . . These are the people that make up the fabric of our community. I've worked very hard for the working families of the district and to make sure we have strong environmental policy, and I'm proud I have the support of these groups."

Sciortino said Finneran's political action committee donated to his campaign because "I had just won the Democratic primary and they were supporting Democratic nominees after the primary." He noted he never served with Finneran, who resigned that September.

"My record stands for itself," he said. "I have had four years of fighting for the issues important to my community. When that means standing up to big-business lobbyists, I stand up and fight. When it means standing up to entrenched interests on Beacon Hill, I stand up and fight."

Prior to entering the Legislature, Sciortino, 30, served as manager of research operations at Fenway Community Health in Boston. He said he is running on his record.

"I have four years of accomplishments," Sciortino said. He noted, as examples, the role he played recently in passage of a bill closing corporate tax loopholes, and in securing a $600 million authorization in the state transportation bond for the extension of the Green Line through Somerville to Medford.

He also pointed to his efforts in securing increased school aid for Medford and Somerville in each of the past four years, his bill expanding the buffer zone outside reproductive clinics, and his legislative efforts to make performance on MCAS tests just one of the factors used to determine whether a student graduates.

Trane said he has proven himself a reformer at the city level, pointing to his efforts to expand Somerville's ethics ordinance and the role he has played in making the aldermen's records readily available to the public online. He said he has also been very accessible.

"I'm very constituent-oriented," he said. "Usually, if you call me, I don't call you back - I go knock on your door. I'm known for that as an alderman and I will continue to do that as a state rep. . . . I try to keep in touch on a personal level with people."

John Laidler can be reached at laidler@globe.com.