Deval Patrick’s win in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Massachusetts yesterday is, Michael Graham, who is a radio-talk-show host up there now, says in an e-mail to me:

The overwhelming victory by former Clinton DOJ official Deval Patrick is the best news Mitt Romney could have gotten out of the race to replace him in the Massachusetts Governor’s office.
Patrick is a great candidate, to be sure: appealing, likeable and smart. However, he is also a movement liberal who sticks out even among the local Blue Staters. A moderate Democrat would be all but a shoo-in, but Patrick is precisely the kind of Democratic nominee who has made it possible for the GOP to hold onto the governor’s mansion the past 16 years.
Patrick helps Romney by making this race competitive, which will bring regional and national attention. If his Lt. Governor, Kerry Healy beats Patrick and holds the office for the Republicans, it will reinforce the “Conservative Republican who wins Blue States” argument that is Romney’s strongest case for the nomination.
In addition, Patrick is a Clintonista. Republicans in California and Michigan who normally wouldn’t care about the MA governor’s race will be tuning in a little more closely when this race pops up on CNN. Beating Patrick isn’t like beating Hillary, but it’s closer than any of the other Democratic candidates out there.
If Healy wins this race–a big IF in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a factor of four–it will be yet another meaningful boost to Romney’s national fortunes.