YES and YES and YES and yeah, baby...Ed Markey to run for Kerry's Senate seat

[WilliamPitt]

Rep. Markey To Run For Kerry’s Senate Seat
Pema Levy 2:50 PM EST, Thursday December 27, 2012

Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) will run for the Senate seat expected to be vacated by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) who was nominated to be secretary of state, he told the Boston Globe. A special election to fill Kerry's seat will likely take place in June.

(snip)

In his statement, Markey outlined some of the issues, including energy and an assault weapons ban, that he intends to campaign on:

“With Senator Kerry’s departure, Massachusetts voters will decide once again whether we want a Senator who will fight for all our families or one who supports a Republican agenda that benefits only the powerful and well-connected,” Markey said. “I refuse to allow the Tea Party-dominated Republican Party to lead us off the fiscal cliff and into recession. I won’t allow the (National Rifle Association) to obstruct an assault weapons ban yet again. I will not sit back and allow oil and coal industry lobbyists to thwart our clean energy future or extremists to restrict women’s rights and health care.”

Link: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/rep-markey-to-run-for-kerrys-senate-seat?ref=fpb

Bring it, L'il Scottie Brown. Ed Markey will NOM you like so much NOM.

YES.



Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/12/27/rep-markey-run-senate-special-election/1aidfQ9YeNT0xXXPnWuS8I/story.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. He looks good. Let's see him walk that talk, too. n/t

[WilliamPitt]

3. He has.

For 36 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Markey

This is a very good thing.

[gateley]

21. He has, Peggy -- he was all over the Gulf oil disaster, telling the truth, demanding more action,

But nobody was listening to him. . I'm very pleased to hear this! Good guy.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. Oh, good news, my dear gateley!

I'm relieved to hear this from you and Will Pitt.

[madokie]

62. Ed Markey is a good dude

Not a dishonest bone in his body and that can be taken to the bank.

[Mass]

33. He does.

[calimary]

46. He's been THE guy to see about net neutrality.

Very much one of us on environmental issues and other progressive priorities. Definitely a good one, and he probably has lots of name recognition in Massachusetts - which he'll need to fight off that human weathervane scott brown. We need to keep the Dems seats protected in the Senate. He's definitely one of the good guys. I'd very much like to see Ed Markey have a more prominent platform - and six years at a time instead of two.

[julian09]

53. He will have to run again in 2014, that is the length of Kerry's term.

[calimary]

55. Hey, who cares? As long as he gets in! I'd rather have two minutes of him than

two more years of snott brown.

[madokie]

63. All this talk about snottie

I don't think he has a snowballs chance in hell of ever winning another election in Mass. He and his cohorts whooping it up in Native American dress in his attempt to keep his seat against soon to be Senator Warren was way over the top. His whole charade about her not looking like a Native American was a real put off that was totally completely un-called for.

[Gregorian]

2. That's a House seat that would need to be replaced.

And we need all of those we can get, and then a bunch.

[WilliamPitt]

4. It's Massachusetts

Keep the fainting couch in the closet.

Malden is safe.

Spend some time here before unspooling any doom-and-gloom scenarios.

Seriously. Markey's district is a lock for the Democrat who runs for it.

[Gregorian]

5. Haha. WOO HOO.

True.

Also, it isn't a thread if no one faints.

[WilliamPitt]

7. LOL

Fair enough.

[sellitman]

8. Scott Brown can safely retire now.

What a shame.


Not!

[robinlynne]

13. Good!

[rufus dog]

18. For the love of God!

Reading this made me feel like your Avatar!

But the person replacing the House Seat may open up a City Council spot for a Rightie!

[Gregorian]

23. I never said that.

[NYC Liberal]

39. And the person running for the City Council spot will open up the

dog catcher position for a Repub! Oh noes!

[kentuck]

6. I've always been an admirer of Ed Markey.

He is an intelligent and compassionate statesman.

[The Wielding Truth]

36. He's okay by me. too.

[graham4anything]

9. I hope he gets financial backing from Mayor Bloomberg, otherwise he will lose.

[WilliamPitt]

11. graham4beingwrongagain

asusual

[Gore1FL]

15. He already has quite a warchest. n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

17. He's got $3 million cash on hand. Brownie has half a mil.

I can't see where Markey will lose against Brown. Seriously. He's very popular in the state. Brown? Not so much.

[gateley]

22. I've heard (much to my dismay and surprise) that Brown actually is still popular in MA. WTF?

[BlueCaliDem]

27. Perhaps against a "generic Democrat", but Ed Markey is very popular in MA,

has high name recognition, and he's already had to run in the moderate Middlesex-Worcester area and is embedded in a centrist, vote-rich part of the state that Brown must outperform in, in order to win. Markey is definitely a strong candidate for Sen. Kerry's seat. He enjoys high approval numbers, too.

I would like to see the new polls now Markey has announced he will run for the Senate.

[gateley]

31. Good to hear --thanks!

[NYC Liberal]

41. Plus Brown has a record now. Can't run as a "moderate" anymore.

Or he can try but far fewer people will fall for it.

[Cha]

32. What a wrong blanket statement. Scott Brown got the Bloomberg

endorsement last time. How'd that work out?

BLOOMBERG BACKS SCOTT BROWN, THE NRA'S CANIDATE AGAINST ELIZABETH WARREN

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/07/6292816/bloomberg-backs-scott-brown-nras-candidate-against-elizabeth-warren

[MannyGoldstein]

48. Hopefully, Bloomberg will call Markey a Socialist

That worked out fine for Warren!

[MADem]

10. I like Ed just fine, and there's no one else who can tie Scottie up and toss him in the garbage, but

I really wish a slightly younger candidate with the same visibility and broad reach were available.

One good thing about Ed, he's a reasonably well-known quantity. Another good thing about Ed, he has the Gift of Gab. I only wish he were a decade younger, but that can't be helped. I hope he takes good care of himself--we want at least two terms, three if he's hale and hearty, four if he's in prodigious health.

I wish Lynch and Capuano would just step to the side and let Deval appoint him, though--it's way easier to run when you have a staff in place on the Senate side, and he'd just move his people over.

It's no done deal, though--Scottie has "people" in the west, and Markey does not. The Obama and Warren networks need to put shoulders to the wheel out that way and help.

[BlueCaliDem]

25. I believe Congressman Markey will be okay, considering his district.

He'll be a strong candidate for Sen. Kerry's seat. He enjoys high approval numbers, and he has had to already run in the moderate Middlesex-Worcester area, and is embedded in a centrist, vote-rich part of the state that Brown must outperform in in order to win, and he has a $3 million war chest.

I agree . . . Markey has the gift of gab. I love how he talks and he really knows how to.

[MADem]

29. Don't get me wrong--I like the guy plenty.

He's got to appeal to the entire state, though, and I'll bet he's less known in the rural west. That's why the Obama/Warren network is going to be needed to help pull this out for him.

My thing? I GOTV and drive people to the polls by the dozens. I'll do it again--whatever it takes.

[Cha]

34. I love hearing that he has the gift of gab..

that goes a long way when you're great on all these Democratic Principles.

An "Appointment" would be a seriously good thing.. and why not.. it Massachusetts!

The Obama networks, the Warren networks, and the Kerry Networks..

[Jim Lane]

45. Is Capuano running, or thinking about running?

I like Markey but I'd somewhat prefer Capuano.

[MADem]

60. There's no downside to trying out one's mojo in a primary.

Rumor has it Capuano and Lynch may both try.

Even if they lose, they still have their seats so it's nothing but a thing.

[Jim Lane]

65. There are a couple of downsides.

One is the possibility of splitting the vote (if the primary is by plurality rather than requiring a majority). Capuano and Markey are both more liberal than Lynch, who's been criticized by NARAL for his positions on reproductive rights. If all three run, we could end up with a Democratic nominee who's arguably to the right of Scott Brown on abortion.

Another is the effort and expense of the primary campaign. If donors are tapped out for a contested primary, it could hurt the fundraising for the special election. It's even worse if the primary turns nasty, and supporters of the losing candidate(s) are left embittered enough to sit out the election or even vote for Brown.

As against that, if two or more of those Representatives decide to try for the seat, there's really no good way to winnow the field other than an open primary.

[MADem]

69. Big picture, not a downside. An irritant but not a game-changer.

Abortion is the law of the land; it's unlikely even someone to the right of Scottie on that particular issue is going to have to vote on that in any conceivable (pardon the pun) scenario. Further, the junior Senator from MA, assuming we can pull this out and get someone in there with a (D) after his/her name, will take instruction from the majority leader, or be a one-term senator. Only the very, very wealthy can afford to be "independent mavericks"--the rest of 'em still gotta serve somebody, and they serve the ones who bankroll their campaigns, or who direct other senators to break out their PAC dough in support.

The primary will be a VERY truncated exercise--there won't be a lot of time to spend like crazy. The big draws will be the debates. And of course, that's if the two "others" -- who haven't declared, they're still "exploring"--even bother to run.

They'll have to do a little polling and see how that goes.

I think the two biggest worries in this by-election are getting out the vote, and doing the "name recognition" game outside of eastern MA. And that applies no matter which Dem (unless Deval decided to run) ends up on the ballot.

[aikoaiko]

12. I lived a couple of doors down from him in Malden.

He is a great representative for the people in that district.

Actually, I think it was his house of record, but he did come by often. The limos and suits really stood out on Townsend Street.

[radiclib]

14. ED MAAAAHHHH-key!!

All RIGHT!

[Cha]

35. Yeah, I remember him on tv a long time

ago during the bush-Gore debacle and he had that strong MA accent goin' on, right? I love it for some reason.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

16. Hellz yeah!

[sofa king]

19. 'Ell Ya!

I am glad to see that the Democratic leadership took heed of my suggestion ten days ago.

[Cha]

40. Well thought out post, sofa king..

thanks for the link!

Ed Markey has been there doing the WORK all these years.. I hope he does get to step up to Senator Markey. He's Earned it.

[H2O Man]

20. Recommended.

I do not understand the hand-wringing that I've seen on DU about the potential republican benefit of Kerry going to State. The McCain et al nonsense was, by definition, a bluff.

If Brown couldn't win in 2012, with all the systematic advantages he enjoyed, there is no reason to assume he will be an equally strong candidate now. Far from it -- even though I don't think it would matter if he was.

More, the Democratic Party had a good half-dozen potential candidates that would have to be considered favorites in a contest against Brown. The republicans have no strong choices, and are likely to be running Brown, a "damaged goods" candidate, because they aren't going to make the same financial investment in a low-probability-of-success campaign. Brown will not get 75% of the funding he did in 2012. The deep pockets aren't going to throw good money after bad. They are fully aware that Markey will thrash Brown; investing in him now would be like betting that Michael Spinks would beat Mike Tyson in a return bout.

[sheshe2]

26. Ed Markey Vs. Scott Brown in a debate...pics

My money is on Mr. Markey!
Bring it on!

This Man.
[url=http://postimage.org/][img][/img][/url]
[url=http://postimage.org/]

VS.

This man!
[url=http://postimage.org/][img][/img][/url]
[url=http://postimage.org/]

Great News! Thanks.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

28. Excellent....

I will have to donate to his campaign.

[gateley]

30. Woo to the Hoo! Thanks for making my day!

[XRubicon]

37. I'd vote fah Mahkey like a basted

If I still lived in MA.

[watch the sky]

38. fielding a VERY strong candidate there

who I think could easily defeat the Playgirl bunny.

[graywarrior]

42. That just made my entire holiday!

Thanks!

[ReRe]

43. Yessssssssssssssssssssss!

[mtasselin]

44. Yes

Thank you Ed , Brown is going to come across as a moderate but he is anything but that. Good Luck and crush the tea bagger.

[calimary]

51. Welcome to DU, mtasselin!

Glad you're here! I, for one, am relieved. Just what we do NOT need is that empty-headed weathervane who photographs well adding another "r" back into the Senate. I was SO glad when we got rid of the male bimbo. I'm a child of the 60s and JFK was the first President about whom I can remember having an awareness. I loved how his very wealthy family, despite all their money and power, was still somehow all about dedication to public service. I really admired that. The Kennedys viewed government service as a way to work for the public good. So seeing a Kennedy seat in the Senate fall into the hands of republi-CONS was a serious affront. A HUGE slap in the face. Utter apostasy. Looks like the chances are good that we won't see that abomination repeat itself with the soon-to-be-vacant Kerry seat. Seems to me Massachusetts is best served with DEMOCRATS in office. (Kinda like California!) Well, hell, kinda like EVERY state in the union, if you really wanna know.

[MannyGoldstein]

47. Massachusetts may have a dream team in the Senate

Wikkid ahsome!

[SpecialKinNJ]

49. Heaven help us

Bad news travels fast. His election would
tend to invalidate the late Sen. Dirksen's observation
that "when a member of the House moves to
the Senate it automatically raises the IQ level
in both bodies". Hyperbole of course.

[calimary]

52. Welcome to DU, SpecialKinNJ!

Good to have you with us! Ed Markey would be great with a Senate platform, being one of 100 rather than one of that huge unruly rabble in the House. He'd class up the joint even more. Hopefully he'll be replaced in the House with someone worthy of him, and of Massachusetts.

[loyalkydem]

50. I like this guy hope he runs

[michigandem58]

54. Brown led Markey 48-30 in a recent poll

He's a good man, but there's a lot of work to be done.

[WilliamPitt]

56. "You can't beat something with nothing."

To wit: Brown dominated a poll against a cache of Democrats who weren't running. He won a poll versus nobody.

= useless poll.

I look forward to the next poll.

And the next.

And the next.

[JI7]

57. Brown also led Elizabeth Warren for a long time

[OldDem2012]

67. I recall Warren being behind by that much or worse....how'd that turn out for Brown? nt.

[donheld]

58. Did you say

Yes?

[ibegurpard]

59. so how is this handled in the interim?

the governor appoints a replacement correct?
will he appoint this guy? that would give him a small incumbency advantage or no?

[MADem]

61. Deval has said he will appoint a placeholder--not a candidate.

It'll be someone like a chief of staff or elder statesman who isn't interested in running.