Steven Grossman, a longtime Democratic power broker, is preparing to run for state treasurer, a move that could turn up the pressure on Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who said he will unenroll from the party this week to run for either governor or treasurer.
Chairman of both the state and national Democratic parties in the 1990s, and a 2002 gubernatorial candidate, the 63-year-old Newton resident dialed senior party members Tuesday and said he was lining up a bid, putting himself out front as a heavyweight contender with tremendous fundraising prowess as Cahill appears to be drifting toward a corner office run.
"I'm planning to seek the Democratic nomination for treasurer of the commonwealth, and I have made a series of calls to some of the leaders in the party as well as to some of the people who have been helpful to me over the years to let them know I am in the treasurer's race and I am looking forward to this," Grossman told State House News Service.
Grossman has run Somerville-based Grossman Marketing Group, a fourth-generation marketing, communications and printing company, for 35 years. He is currently chairman of the steering committee for state Rep. Ruth Balser's mayoral campaign in Newton.
Grossman's aggressiveness could push Cahill toward a decision, which the treasurer said Tuesday he would make "probably right after Labor Day," or narrow Cahill's options, forcing him to choose between the gubernatorial campaign and defending his seat against a presumably well-funded and seasoned candidate from the state's majority party.
As many as a dozen other Democrats have conveyed interest in the race, whose field will likely crowd if Cahill steps toward higher office.
Cahill, who started July with $2.89 million in his account, according to state campaign finance officials, has said he disagrees with the Democratic Party's current direction, pointing to recent tax hikes and spending he said is out of line with what the state can afford.
Republicans have yet to produce a major candidate for any of the statewide offices other than governor. However, convenience store magnate Christy Mihos has announced, and many Republicans are hoping, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO Charles Baker will run.
Asked whether the party had fielded a treasury candidate yet, party spokeswoman Tarah Donoghue said in an e-mail, "We are in preliminary discussions with individuals, but it's an ongoing process."
"I'm a business person, I know how to manage money, I know how to create jobs, and in my business I'm held accountable every day to show leadership, to show transparency," Grossman said.
