(NECN) - There was a time when Donald Berwick ran the Medicare program under President Barack Obama.
Berwick's credentials on health care are just one piece of his campaign for governor of Massachusetts.
The first hurdle for all five Democrats vying to succeed Deval Patrick will come in June, when the candidates have to get at least 15 percent of the vote at the state convention in order to make the primary ballot.
Berwick says he's "very confident" he'll pass that test.
Charter schools are becoming a hot topic in Massachusetts. Berwick says he's open to a small increase in the cap.
"I think charters well done can be a useful laboratory for the rest of system, to try things that are hard to try in other systems, but there have to be very, very strict rules for charter," he says.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is in the midst of deciding which section of the state gets a casino. Berwick supports a repeal of casinos should the question make it on the ballot, but what about online gaming?
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"I think it's worse than casinos," Berwick says, adding, "Because it adds a burden to our Commonwealth we don't need. We know what gambling addiction looks like. We have serious problem with growing mental health issues in the Commonwealth, and I just think it's the wrong way to go."
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