5 Biggest Names in Mass. Politics in 2016

It's no swing state, but politicians from or tied to Massachusetts still managed to work their way into national and state political headlines by huge numbers in 2016.

We broke down those numbers for the year past, and picked out not only which names you were most interested in, but the one story that captured readers' attention (or, in some cases, their outrage).

5. Mitt Romney

Ah, Mitt Romney. We remember him, don't we? Former Massachusetts governor, one-time presidential candidate and brief contender for Secretary of State under President-elect Donald Trump. That, of course, has not panned out. Neither did Romney's erstwhile attempts to stymie Trump's chances of winning the Republican presidential primary. Those two apparently incompatible statements drummed up some real interest this November, when it was first reported that Romney and Trump would meet.

Read: Mitt Romney, Donald Trump Meet at Trump's NJ Golf Course

4. Charlie Baker

Gov. Charlie Baker had, as one would imagine, a busy year. He advanced landmark legislation to stem the tide of opioid abuse, signed into law a national precedent-setting transgender protections bill, pursued sharp, mid-year budget cuts and presided over the passage of a sprawling clean energy act. Heck, he was named "Public Official of the Year." People cared about those things, absolutely. But the numbers don't lie. What Patch readers wanted to know most about was who Baker voted for president. The answer?

Read: Mass. Governor's Pick for President: Nobody

3. Elizabeth Warren

First, for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the big draw was the "will she, won't she" question of endorsing Hillary Clinton. Later, it was her Twitter brawls with then-candidate Trump. She was also, briefly, considered for vice presidential candidate. Plus, remember that time she eviscerated a big-time bank CEO on CSPAN? Anyway, after the election, readers gravitated to two stories. One was about her name being floated for 2020 presidential candidate (yes, already), and the other was her words of advice and plan of action post-election. That second was the biggie.

Read: Elizabeth Warren to Donald Trump: Campaign Promises 'Already Broken'

2. Curt Schilling

Ah, Curt. In the course of 2016, he went from ESPN commentator to unemployed. Then he made another transformation, from social media provocateur to a prospective Senate candidate called, by one critic, "Trump Lite." Fun! But it wasn't his political ambitions that had our readers flocking to Schilling headlines. Nope, the story that won him the No. 2 spot on this list was... well, see for yourself.

Read: Curt Schilling Tweets Photo of Shirt Calling for Hanging of Journalists

1. Scott Brown

He's no longer a resident, but the former Massachusetts senator's name still commands interest in the Bay State. Scott Brown was in the headlines this year for all kinds of reasons: reported consideration for Veterans Affairs Secretary under President Trump, his various statements during the campaign. But the real draw for readers was when Brown's name got pulled into a sweeping list of sexual harassment allegations from former Fox News broadcaster Andrea Tantaros. Brown in no uncertain terms denied her claims. That story alone was one of our most-read this year, and puts Scott Brown's name in the top spot of this list.

Read: Andrea Tantaros Names Scott Brown in Fox News Sexual Harassment

Photo by Travis Rigel Lukas Hornung, Flickr/Creative Commons