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2010 Massachusetts Special Election Results
Massachusetts is primed for another statewide Senate race again, featuring a pair of Boston College alumni. After losing to Harvard professor and now Senator Elizabeth Warren, Republican Scott Brown, appears to be gearing up for another special election run. Current Senator John Kerry, a 1976 graduate of Boston College Law School, or BCLS, is President Barack Obama’s choice to be appointed Secretary of State and replace the outgoing Hilary Clinton.
Kerry is expected to be approved by his colleagues in the Senate shortly after his confirmation in front of the Senate foreign relations committee that he currently chairs. “He would get a lot of support in the Senate because we all know John,” Conservative Republican Lindsey Graham said of Kerry. The hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24, and once Kerry is formally confirmed, it will officially set into motion another statewide race.
Former Senator Brown, himself a 1985 graduate of BCLS, has remained mum regarding his potential run. “You know, depending on what happens and where we go- all of us- may obviously meet again,” Brown said in his concession speech on election night. However, republican political operatives told the Boston Globe that the nomination is essentially his, as he is the only potential name with true statewide appeal.
On the democratic side, the only officially declared candidate is Congressmen Ed Markey, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1976. A double Eagle, graduating from BC in 1968 and BCLS in 1972, Markey serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Natural Resources. Although Markey has not had to run in a competitive race since 1976, several top democrats have voiced their support of Markey’s candidacy, including Kerry, who tacitly signaled his support last week, according to the Boston Globe.
Perhaps the first inklings of an upcoming race, Brown laughed when prompted by local radio station WTKK-FM as to whether he would take on Markey in a presumed contest. “I’ll tell you what; they’re making it awfully tempting. You got Ed Markey: Does he even live here anymore?” Brown said. Responding to the claim, Markey’s spokesperson said that the candidate has lived his entire life in Malden, Massachusetts, approximately 30 minutes away from BC, buying his family home after his father passed away in 2000.
Campaign money may also be a contributing factor as to who eventually runs. A statewide special election is to be held, according to Massachusetts’s law, 145 to 160 days after the seat is vacated. Following Federal Election Commission filings, Brown has roughly $460,000 left over from his failed Senate campaign. Markey on the other hand, is confirmed to have $1.3 million available after not having to run a competitive race in decades.
Whatever the eventual outcome, BC will most likely continue to be well represented in the U.S. Senate.
School, major and year: Arts and Sciences, Political Science, and Class of 2016
Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey
Favorite Beyonce lyric: "I don't think you're ready for this jelly"
