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A Political Shift In The First Suffolk District

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Linda Dorcena Forry (Twitter)
Linda Dorcena Forry (Twitter)

Former U.S. House Speaker and Cambridge native Tip O'Neill famously coined the phrase, "All politics is local." But there are times when hyperlocal politics are a powerful barometer indicating just how much an entire city or region is changing.

Take, for example, the Massachusetts state Senate seat for the First Suffolk District, which includes South Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan and parts of Hyde Park. It's long been regarded as the "Southie Seat," because for more than 40 years, it's been held by a white, Irish-American, South Boston man.

On May 28, that may change. Residents in the district could elect the first Haitian-American woman ever to represent their district. Linda Dorcena Forry is currently a state representative, and she secured the Democratic nomination for the state Senate seat in last week's primary.

Guest

Linda Dorcena Forry, Democratic nominee for the state Senate seat in the First Suffolk District of Massachusetts and state representative in the Twelfth Suffolk District

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WBUR: "Dorcena Forry, who is Haitian-American, is married to the editor and publisher of the Dorchester Reporter, who is Irish-American. 'This is an amazing, real diverse district. This is culturally, ethnically and economically diverse. There’s been amazing support from all those different groups.'"

The Boston Globe: "Forry will now face off in the general election against GOP candidate Joseph Anthony ­Ureneck, a Dorchester native who has run unsuccessfully in the past for City Council and the Governor’s Council. Most observers — and even Ureneck — expect Forry to win handily."

This segment aired on May 8, 2013.

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