BOSTON (AP) - Sixteen months before Election Day, the die has
been cast on Deval Patrick's re-election campaign.

With the stroke of a pen Monday, the governor of Massachusetts
signed into law the first hike in the state's sales tax in 33
years. For a Democrat presiding over the state once derided as
"Taxachusetts," the 25 percent increase could be politically
devastating.

But Patrick signed the bill with confidence, not trepidation,
because he believes much of his work leading up to the signing
ceremony will help him against potential 2010 challengers.

Patrick, derided in 2006 as a political neophyte, strong-armed
his fellow Democrats in the Legislature into passing
transportation, ethics and pension overhaul packages in the days
before he signed the tax bill. He even appropriated Senate
President Therese Murray's "reform before revenue" pledge in the
process.

Patrick's team believes the reforms, combined with prior
successes, give Patrick a record to run on. The victories include
winning passage of a 10-year, $1 billion package to promote the
state's life sciences industry and achievement of three longtime
Republican goals - instituting a civilian flagger system at state
construction sites, expanding auto insurance competition and
eliminating the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

The series of victories, which culminated Wednesday with the
signing of the ethics bill, marked a reversal for the governor.

It was only March when the governor, supposedly in tune with the
voting public, dismissed as "trivial" the outcry over his attempt
to give a $100,000 raise to Sen. Marian Walsh for filling a
nonexistent job at a state agency. When the criticism persisted,
Patrick reversed course. Walsh first accepted a salary cut before
bagging the job outright.

The governor also faced a legislative revolt, and public
criticism from Murray, over his proposal to increase the state's
gasoline tax by 19 cents a gallon to pay for his transportation
plan.

In response, Patrick decided to get down to dealmaking and push
his Big Three initiatives: transportation, pension and ethics
reform.

In each arena, though, there's some fertile territory for debate
with possible challengers in 2010, who include Democratic state
Treasurer Timothy Cahill and health care executive Charles Baker
and convenience store magnate Christy Mihos, both Republicans.

Patrick talked about transportation reform when he took office
in January 2007; his bill wasn't filed until this year. His first
transportation secretary, Bernard Cohen, was brought in for his
expertise but he ended up being replaced by former Turnpike General
Counsel James Aloisi, part of the "Big Dig culture" Patrick had
derided during the 2006 campaign.

The pension debate was leavened with Boston Globe stories about
bald-faced abuses by a variety of current and former state
officials, but fueled by the outrage over Walsh's proposed job. Any
boosted pension she received wouldn't have come from state coffers,
but the idea of a state senator and Patrick supporter getting a
handsome raise amid a severe recession fueled criticism of
public-sector perks.

Ethics reform, meanwhile, was born largely in public outrage
with three high-profile episodes, each involving Patrick's fellow
Democrats - the party that dominates both branches of the
Legislature, as well as the governor's office.

Last year, then-Sen. James Marzilli of Arlington was arrested
after allegedly leering at women in downtown Lowell. And then-Sen.
Dianne Wilkerson was indicted on federal bribery charges after
being photographed allegedly shoving money in her bra at a Beacon
Hill eatery. This year, Patrick's political partner, House Speaker
Salvatore DiMasi, also resigned amid a series of influence-peddling
investigations that culminated in a federal indictment.

In signing the ethics bill on Wednesday, the governor tried to
cast his political comeback in the most positive light with
comments that sounded like a campaign ad.

"These reforms, along with a budget that is on-time, balanced
and in partnership with the Legislature, demonstrate that we can
successfully lead the commonwealth through these difficult economic
times," he said. "While many other states are in the midst of
potential government shutdowns and protracted budget delays,
residents of Massachusetts should take confidence and heart that
their leaders are working together."