Ed Markey is anointed to fill John Kerry’s Senate seat; Steve Lynch dares make a challenge. Chances are the chosen one gets the job, but don’t count out Lynch — he’s faced odds like these before, and beat them.
With Kerry’s departure, the Democratic Senate primary looms, just two-and-a-half months away. That’s a short span of time for a candidate to create an organization, raise money, make himself known, and — because this is a special election — persuade people to come out and actually vote. Markey, a US representative first elected in 1976 to represent a district encompassing much of Middlesex County and other suburbs north and west of Boston, had a solution: Do away with the primary altogether. Borrowing a page from Elizabeth Warren’s playbook, he tried to clear the field of challengers and focus instead on the June 30 final.
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tom, this race will come down to abortion, Lynch will be bashed for his pro-choice stance. the liberals have figured out this stragedy works as we saw in November. Markey is very liberal, he should do well here.
News flash, Tom, Democrats "with gumption" can and will vote for Representactive Markey just as they did for now Senator Warren. News flash, Tom, beer and brat voters can and will vote for Markey. Make mine any Sam Adams Seasonal Brew and an old fashioned, natural casing hot dog with mustard and sauerkraut with a side of Boston baked beans for a Saturday night suppah! Now and the a slice of hot brown bread with a melting pad of buttuh!
Warren was a DNC powerplay imposed upon on the state party who caved, forcing out an challengers who would take her to a primary. Give Lynch credit for helping maintain some degree of objectivity in the process.
I hope Markey wins. He's the better candidate who reflects Massachusetts voters' ideals best.
While Markey might represent your ideals....he most certainly doesn't represent mine....
Given the two leading democrat contenders....its a shame we can't lose a Senatorial seat as well. Thank goodness that our ability to posion the nation dropped by one vote recently...
Please. Markey's blue collar roots are just as deep as Lynch's, and Markey's a true son of Massachusetts. Lynch is a Joe Lieberman Democrat. I'd rather have someone like Markey who will fight for Massachusetts and for my values.
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Lynch voted for the Iraq war. He is Scott Brown wrapped in shamrocks. Also, I live in his district and his staff was unreponsive to my one inquiry with his office.
Trying to figure...should I vote for the guy who is openly happy about killing babies, or the guy who tries to hid his delight...
Choices, choices.
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Ed Markey has been my Representative for the last 20 yrs. He is repsonsive, thoughtful and a leader who knows how to get things done. Most importantly, for me, he believes in. cares about and works tirelessly on efforts to stem the ultimate impact of climate change on our planet. There are many issues facing us today, some very urgent, but NONE more important that what we have done to our environment and how it is we can stem the tide (literally and figuratively).
"Ed Markey has been my Representative for the last 20 yrs."
That's because you've only lived in his district for 20 years. Actually, Ed's teeth have been clamped on the public teat for 37 years. Has he ever had a job in the private sector? Maybe he should be thinking about retiring instead of camping out in the Senate for another generation.
Term limits would solve so many problems.
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Lynch is a republican pretending to be a democrat. The Mass GOP is wanting this guy over Markey 1000%
During a camaign speech I heard Markey state (not verbatim)... From Pittsefield to Provincetown, Amesbury to New Bedford I will go to Washington to further President Obama's agenda. And he pretends to represent us?
Yes, because it so happens that the vast majaority of Massachusetts voters (and especially Democrats) wholeheartedly suppport Pres. Obama.
What a deplorable article. Is this the coverage and commentary we’re going to get? Mr. Lynch said recently that he and Mr. Markey were on the same page about 95% of the time. Let’s explore the differences and why each man believes as he does. We should drop the bull about other people choosing our candidates too. Elizabeth Warren became a Senator because tens of thousands of us got behind her candidacy and worked for her. No one forced the others out. They saw the writing on the wall. When a thousand people show up in Framingham early in the race to offer support, or 300 people at the Lynn City Committee event with 250 of them wearing Warren stickers,THAT is what convinced the others to step aside. Except for Ms. DeFranco who generated negligible support in caucuses and at the convention where almost all the delegates are ELECTED. That is the democratic, and Democratic, process. A good reporter or sharp commentator serves the public best by going deeper than conspiracy theories, press releases and rumors.
"We should drop the bull about other people choosing our candidates too... When a thousand people show up in Framingham early in the race to offer support,..."
Buses, buses,buses, and buses.
That the coronation of Ed Markey should have begun this early demonstrates both the serf-like mentality of Massachusetts voters and the eagerness of the D.C. Democrat establishment to preserve a Senate seat. While Lynch is no day at the beach, and neither man is likely to be mistaken for Plato's Philosopher King, I should have thought that at a time when even Globe editors are beginning to question the wisdom of the "government first" approach to problems, we might have come up with someone better than Markey. A payroll patriot, who ducked service in Vietnam, Markey has never held a job in the private sector since his college days at (you guessed it) BC. Nor has he ever been vigorously challenged, politically or intellectually. Like all pols in a safe seat for too long without benefit of a critical audience, he has grown intellectually soft and physically lazy. Lacking in metaphysics, he spouts tiresome, stultifying, liberal clichés (now called "talking points") that pass for analysis in the world of in-bred "progressives." He has been in government way too long and could stand a good dose of the private sector (and I don’t mean academia).
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Mr. Markey has been in the same seat/rut for 34 years. Rather than make it an even 40, let's elect a new voice. I'll be voting for Lynch in the primary and Dan Winslow in the general. It's time for some turnover.
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Primary is certainly a major tune up for Ed Markey moving forward to win the general election. This is perhaps one of the easiest primary election choices we as Democrats could/would ever have. Markey's primary win will be extremeley lopsided and well deserved--based on his voting record and effective advacacy on issues that voters and MA care deeply about. It's a cliche but I would say that for Democrats it is a NO brainer to vote/support Markey in the primary and on to election.