State employs a Herald columnist

But with speculation that Governor Mitt Romney will decided not to seek a second term next year and instead seek the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, the stakes for the Democratic nomination will be an even higher. Romney's absence from the race would hurt the GOP's chances of holding the office it has held since 1991, experienced observers in both parties say.

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is likely to seek the GOP gubernatorial nomination if Romney doesn't run. Charles D. Baker, chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and a popular figure among party insiders, has also expressed interest.

Healey continues to raise funds for her political account, having accumulated $627,000. But Baker, who served in cabinet positions in the Weld and Cellucci administration in the 1990s, is unlikely to make any obvious political moves until Romney makes up his mind at the end of this year. By then, it could be too late for Baker, who is not well known to voters and has no personal wealth to contribute to a campaign. Healey, who has significant personal wealth, could dip into her own funds to run.