Mass. Gov. looks ahead to final 2 years in office

BOSTON (AP) -- Deval Patrick is facing challenges and opportunities as he launches the last two years of what he says will be his final term as governor.

The Democrat is grappling with recent failures of government oversight, a lackluster economy, a cabinet shake-up and increasing speculation about who might take his place.

But Patrick remains upbeat. He dismisses chatter about his lame duck status and vows to push ahead with what he says is the unfinished business of his administration, including transportation funding measures and gun control legislation.

Patrick is coming off a year of political highs and lows.

He reveled in the election of President Barack Obama and Democratic Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren. Those victories, however, were tempered with a ticking up of the state's unemployment rate and sluggish state revenues.