Dem Rep. Markey Wins US Senate Election In Mass.
Source: AP
BOSTON (AP) Longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey defeated Republican political newcomer Gabriel Gomez in a special election on Tuesday for the state's U.S. Senate seat long held by John Kerry, a race that failed to draw the attention that the state's 2010 special Senate election did.
Markey, 66, won the early backing of Kerry and much of the state's Democratic political establishment, which was set on avoiding a repeat of the stunning loss it suffered three years ago, when Republican state Sen. Scott Brown upset Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Gomez, a 47-year-old businessman and former Navy SEAL, positioned himself as a moderate and Washington outsider who would challenge partisan gridlock, contrasting himself with Markey, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1976.
Markey had an advantage of about 8 percentage points over Gomez with most precincts reporting late Tuesday, according to unofficial returns. He outspent Gomez throughout the race, and Republicans were unable to match a well-oiled Democratic field organization in an election that saw relatively light turnout in much of the heavily Democratic state.
Read more: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=195425046
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)lordsummerisle
(4,651 posts)maybe with all the other issues going on...
Cha
(298,074 posts)all those in Mass who were at Senator Markey's Victory party are over the Moon! All those who care about Progress are reveling!
There's a party goin' here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/110211416
treestar
(82,383 posts)I'm sure there are a few DUers who are quite unhappy about this!
demwing
(16,916 posts)so tired of the rancor, time to feed the beast.
socialist_n_TN
(11,481 posts)since there's not been a lot of representation, no matter which bourgeois party is in power. Until the political class shows some balls about challenging the dictatorship of capital, I'm sure that quite a few folks are skeptical.
Cha
(298,074 posts)that crap work out for ya, Gomez?
thanks onehandle and Senator Markey!
CBHagman
(16,994 posts)...and even attended a hearing of a subcommittee to which he belonged. He's a good guy and I wish him the best in the Senate.
ellie
(6,929 posts)I read threads earlier how he might not win because of low turnout and I just couldn't.
calimary
(81,608 posts)I'm relieved.
I had to go on a news blackout at 5 p.m. MT because I was about to lose my mind.
calimary
(81,608 posts)Just didn't want to watch the news. Too depressing.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)Thanks, MA!
sofa king
(10,857 posts)... For scarcely mentioning the election at all, and for keeping Markey's superb oratorical skills a secret by never showing them to a national audience.
The intent, no doubt, was to suppress turnout in order to favor the knuckledraggers in MA. But it didn't work, and that in turn is going to work in Markey's favor as he makes a larger splash next year, and who knows? Perhaps a larger one two years after that.
For those of you who failed to notice the chess game afoot, you should know that this was probably the President's plan the whole time.
calimary
(81,608 posts)This is a good move - I've liked Ed Markey for a long time, and I think he'll be a GREAT voice in the Senate. Hopefully CNN and "Meet the Press" and the rest of 'em will find him harder to ignore now that he's one of only 100 rather than one out of 400+. He was our point man on net neutrality in the House. He's a good guy. MAN, with Elizabeth Warren AND Ed Markey, the proud and revered Massachusetts progressive/liberal tradition continues!
Congratulations Massachusetts! EXCELLENT move - from which we will ALL benefit, from coast to coast!
Rowdyboy
(22,057 posts)Klobuchar and Franken in Wisconsin, maybe Merkley and Wyden in Oregon. I feel like I'm forgetting one but I can't call it up right now.
Unca Jim
(556 posts)...are from beautiful blue Minnesota.
Wisconsin is spiraling down with idiots like Ron Johnson and Scott Walker racing to the bottom.
Though they did elect Tammy Baldwin over Tommy Thompson to their credit, so maybe enough people are waking up...
Rowdyboy
(22,057 posts)Gaylord Nelson and William Proxmire were heroes of mine back in the day but I appreciate the correction! Mea culpa!
cilla4progress
(24,802 posts)My Evergreen state - Washington!
Rowdyboy
(22,057 posts)Jennicut
(25,415 posts)I live in CT and the way they have been with the Newtown families has been amazing. And they won't stop fighting on gun legislation.
calimary
(81,608 posts)But not always.
Rowdyboy
(22,057 posts)very, very good and when she is bad she is horrid!"
Still, she's heads above any senator in my state, or in any state touching my state, or in any state touching a state that touches my state.
That pretty much says it all.
calimary
(81,608 posts)DiFi is better than nothing. Liked her forceful presence in the gun debate. I liked that A LOT! I was surprised, frankly. I expected her to go sniveling to the unreliable "middle of the road," which usually finds her leaning more to the wrong side. In ANY event, she's WORLDS better than having a republi-CON!!!
EVERYONE should keep that in mind when discussing presidential politics, too. Don't just go off in a huff because the Democrat standing before you isn't perfect. ANY even cursory examination of the make-up of the Supreme Court should be enough to settle that one. Do you want someone who would tend more to nominate a Ruth Bader Ginsburg or an antonin scalia?????? Could you live with the ramifications of that for the next 20 - 30 years????????
I'm afraid that's what it comes down to. At least for me. I dislike having my vote hemmed in like that. But it is what it is. And the alternative to even a so-so Democrat is a future dominated by the scalias-alitos-thomases. And I don't think ANYONE, even the most critical DUer or progressive, really deep-down wants that.
Cha
(298,074 posts)And, the President's chess game.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)The people of Massachusetts did. There is no "chess" involved.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)Who chose to nominate a Massachusetts Senator for Secretary of State? Who set the timetable of that announcement, and therefore the approximate date of this special election? Who campaigned for John Kerry's successor to the seat?
Did all of that just "happen" all by itself?
Of course not. The opening moves were obvious to me back in December. Just because that isn't obvious to you does not mean it did not happen.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)sofa king
(10,857 posts)Thank you to the people of the fair Commonwealth of Massachusetts for electing Ed Markey.
And, thank you to President Obama for making that election possible.
I don't want to argue with you, because we ALL won this week.
Fearless
(18,421 posts)It wouldn't have needed to be done had he not picked Kerry. That's not criticism of the president, it's just a fact. And yes we all did win, but that isn't because of the President.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)Then thanks to the Flying Spaghetti Monster for rotating one deserving Senator out and creating two new powerful liberal Senators in his place. I am so glad that the people of Massachusetts somehow made this possible all by themselves.
politicasista
(14,128 posts)Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 11:37 PM - Edit history (1)
Fearless
(18,421 posts)Sparky 1
(400 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Some good news at last!
LeftishBrit
(41,219 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,511 posts)27%
Neither party can be happy with that.
What was the plan if the other team showed up?
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Response to onehandle (Original post)
politicasista This message was self-deleted by its author.