United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was a special election held on January 19, 2010, in order to fill the Massachusetts
Class I United States Senate
seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013. It was won by Republican
Scott Brown
.
The vacancy that prompted the special election was created by the death of Democratic
Senator Ted Kennedy
on August 25, 2009. (Kennedy served as Senator since 1962, having been elected in a special election in 1962
to fill the vacancy created when his brother John F. Kennedy
was elected President of the United States in 1960
.) The seat was held until the election by an appointee, Senator Paul Kirk, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee
, who was not a candidate in the election to complete the term.
A party primary election determining the winners of party nominations was held on December 8, 2009. The Democratic Party
nominated Martha Coakley
, the Massachusetts Attorney General
; The Republican Party
nominated Scott Brown
, a Massachusetts State Senator
.
The race drew national attention due to Brown's unexpectedly closing the gap and running even with, or ahead of, Coakley in independent and internal polling in the last few days of the campaign.
Polls closed at 8:00 pm Eastern Time
. At 9:06 pm, BNO News projected Brown as the winner of the race. At 9:13 p.m., The Boston Globe
reported that Coakley telephoned Brown and conceded her defeat in the election. As a result of the election, the Republicans would control 41 seats in the United States Senate, enough to maintain a filibuster. Although Democrats would retain control of both Houses of Congress until the November 2010 elections, Scott Brown's victory would greatly affect their political plans, most notably for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
.
William F. Galvin
presented the dates January 19 and January 26, 2010, after meetings with State House Speaker Robert DeLeo
, State Senate President
Therese Murray
, and aides to Governor
Deval Patrick
. Patrick was legally required to select one of these two dates. A January 19 election would require the primary to be held on December 8, while a January 26 election would have required a December 15 primary. Republican State Representative
Karyn Polito
suggested on August 28, 2009, that, because the possible election dates overlap the holiday season, the law ought to be rewritten to allow the special election to be held on November 3, 2009, to coincide with other elections in the state.
Patrick stated on August 29, 2009, that he wanted to honor a request by Kennedy that any appointee to the seat not run, and that he would address the issue of the election date "after we have finished this period of respectful grief." On August 31, 2009, Patrick scheduled the special election for January 19, 2010, with the primary elections on December 8, 2009. For party primary candidates, completed nomination papers with certified signatures were required to be filed by the close of business, November 3, 2009. Non-party candidates had a December 8, 2009, filing deadline.
, for the 90 days preceding the filing deadline, unless the candidate is a newly-registered voter. The candidate additionally must not have been enrolled in any other party in the prior year.
withdrew the authority of the governor to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy by appointment, to prevent the then-Governor Mitt Romney
, a Republican
, from appointing a Republican to fill the remainder of Democrat John Kerry
's Senate term, if Kerry were to win the 2004 presidential election
. The legislation was enacted over Romney's veto. At that time, Senator Ted Kennedy successfully made personal appeals to Massachusetts Democratic legislative leaders to pass the bill, which was stalled prior to his request.
Seven days before his death, Kennedy communicated his desire to amend the law so that upon a vacancy, the governor might appoint a Senator to serve until the special election occurred and avoid a five-month vacancy for the office. Kennedy sent a letter to the governor and legislative leaders (received on August 18, 2009, and dated July 2, 2009) requesting that they consider changing the law, and that the Governor obtain the personal pledge of such an appointee to not become a candidate in the following special election. John Kerry, President
Barack Obama
, and State House Speaker Robert DeLeo
all expressed support for an interim appointment.
Patrick stated that he wished to honor the request by Kennedy that any appointee pledge not to run in the special election. The legality of such a demand in state law is questioned by Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin
, as the qualifications for office to Congress are specified solely in the Constitution. Robert DeLeo stated that both the Senate and the House of Representatives planned to approve resolutions indicating that they did not want the appointee to run in the special election or become involved with any candidate's campaign.
A bill previously pending before the legislature, filed by State Rep. Robert M. Koczera of New Bedford in January 2009, proposed to permit the governor to appoint a senator; to enjoin the governor from appointing a candidate in a subsequent special election; and to permit the appointment date to occur only after the filing deadline for the special election had passed. Governor Patrick said he would push the General Court to pass the bill, and that he would sign it into law. The General Court held its first hearing on the legislation on September 9.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives
approved legislation to give Governor Patrick the power to appoint an interim senator on September 17, 2009, by a 95–58 vote. The Massachusetts Senate
approved the measure on September 22, 2009, by a vote of 24 to 16,
and both houses of the General Court gave final approval to the bill on September 23.
On September 24, 2009, Patrick appointed Paul G. Kirk, former Democratic National Committee
chairman and aide to Ted Kennedy, to serve until the elected successor took office. Kennedy's two sons, Patrick J. Kennedy
and Edward Kennedy, Jr.
, and his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy
, had all expressed their preference for Kirk. Kirk was sworn in to office on Friday September 25, 2009.
He pledged not to be a candidate in the special election.
Polling
Results
Polling
Results
or third party
candidates had until December 8, 2009, to submit nomination papers for signature certification.
of The Rothenberg Political Report, Charlie Cook
of The Cook Political Report and statistician
Nate Silver
of FiveThirtyEight.com
all characterized the race as a tossup. On January 15, 2010, former President
Bill Clinton
campaigned for Coakley in Worcester
, while former Mayor of New York City
Rudy Giuliani
campaigned for Brown in Boston
. President Barack Obama
campaigned for Coakley on January 17, 2010. On January 17, Cook said that Brown had become the slight favorite. The Rothenberg Political Report and Nate Silver
of FiveThirtyEight.com
changed their ratings from "Tossup" to "Lean Takeover" on January 18.
CQ Politics and Cook Political Report rated the election as a "Tossup". The Rothenberg Political Report changed its rating from "Tossup" to "Lean Takeover" on January 18. Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report stated on January 17, says that he would put his "finger on the scale" for Scott Brown as favored to win. The Rothenberg Political Report released a statement that, "unless Democratic turnout exceeds everyone's expectations, Brown is headed for a comfortable win." As of January 18, Brown led Coakley in the Intrade
prediction market by high double-digit margins. Statistician Nate Silver
of FiveThirtyEight.com
projected on January 18 that there was a 75% chance that Brown would defeat Coakley.
Brown won the special election by a mid-single digits margin of the vote, outperforming previous Republican candidates in Republican strongholds and remaining competitive even in several traditionally Democratic-leaning precincts. With his victory, he became the first Massachusetts Republican elected to the United States Senate
since Edward Brooke
in 1972.
and Washington, D.C.
outsider. He said "I have always thought that being in government service is a privilege, not a right. This Senate seat doesn't belong to any one person or political party. It belongs to you, the people, and the people deserve a U.S. senator who will always put your interests first." Brown has called for fiscal restraint and smaller government
, claiming that he has never voted for a tax increase. Brown has also pledged to be the 41st vote against the current health care reform
bill in the Senate. Assistant Professor Boris Schor of the University of Chicago
's Harris School of Public Policy Studies
has described Brown as a liberal Republican by national standards, but well suited for his Massachusetts constituency.
Scott Brown has drawn attention for having appeared nude and semi-nude with his hands covering his genitals in a centerfold
in Cosmopolitan
in 1982.
In the special election campaign in 2010, controversy erupted over a conscientious objector
amendment Brown sponsored in 2005, which, according to The Boston Globe
, "would have allowed a doctor, nurse or hospital to deny rape victims an emergency contraceptive if it 'conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief.'" In the candidates' January 5 debate, Brown stated that he continues to support religious hospitals in refusing to provide emergency contraception, causing the woman to go to another hospital. He said, "That's really up to the hospital. There are many, many hospitals that can deal with that situation." Coakley
ran a television advertisement attacking Brown over that saying, "Brown even favors letting hospitals deny emergency contraception to rape victims." Brown's daughter Ayla called the Coakley advertisement "completely inaccurate and misleading", and Brown criticized Coakley for running what he described as "attack ads".
Scott Brown filed an ethics complaint stating that the Service Employees International Union
(SEIU) Local 509 used state computers and e-mail addresses to direct employees of the state to volunteer for Coakley's campaign.
During a State Senate debate in 2001, Brown referred to the decision of his lesbian
Democratic opponent, Cheryl Jacques
, to have children as "not normal". He also described her parenting role as "alleged family responsibilities." Several Massachusetts LGBT activists condemned the statement. Brown quickly apologized for his "poor choice of words", and he defended his position on that issue as being anti-gay-marriage
and pro-civil-unions
.
, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act
and strengthening hate crimes laws.
Coakley has refused to investigate Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, and his office for allegedly violating laws in regards to destruction of public e-mail records. Coakley denies all accusations of misconduct.
She also declined to reprimand the state's District Attorneys in relation to false statements they allegedly made regarding the effects of the state's voter approved Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative
in an attempt to defeat the ballot question, as well as allegations the District Attorneys misused state resources (website) and failed to file as designated ballot committee in a timely manner while receiving contributions as required by law while challenging the initiative. The statements by the District Attorneys included allegedly inaccurate and misleading warnings in an effort to defeat the law, such as that if the law passed "any person may carry and use marijuana at any time." When declining to pursue the case Coakley's office responded with "nothing in the proposed law explicitly forbids public use of the drug". This basically ignores the fact that the law still levies a $100 fine and confiscation for adults, as well as additional mandatory community service for minors for the act of possession, and that using the drug requires possessing it, as well as the fact the law as passed allows cities to pass their own ordinances to further fine public consumption if needed. The failure to file as a ballot committee allegedly stems from the fact state records show the district attorneys began raising money as early as July 18, 2008, but did not file a statement of organization or any of the appropriate financial disclosures with the state until September 5, 2008. Coakley was herself a member of The Coalition for Safe Streets, the political action group eventually formed by the District Attorneys to fight the ballot question. She stated that she did not feel it was necessary to recuse herself from any decisions based on any possible conflict of interest grounds.
In a radio interview on January 16, 2010, Coakley described former Boston Red Sox
pitcher
Curt Schilling
as a "Yankee
fan," which drew criticism. Schilling, who considered running for the Senate seat himself and later endorsed Scott Brown, responded by saying "I've been called a lot of things ... but never, I mean never, could anyone make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could ..." Coakley later described the comment as a joke.
Two of Coakley's ads had to be reedited after they first aired, one because of a typo in spelling Massachusetts (spelling it ), and another which used old stock footage
of New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, to represent Wall Street
. The second ad was meant to depict Scott Brown as a Wall Street crony.
On January 12, 2010, an altercation occurred between The Weekly Standard
journalist John McCormack and Democratic strategist Michael Meehan, in which the journalist was pushed onto the ground while trying to ask Coakley a question. Coakley stated she was aware of the incident but unsure of exactly what happened. Meehan later apologized for being "a little too aggressive," while denying any intention to knock down McCormack.
Coakley's role in the case of Keith Winfield has attracted criticism. In October 2005, Winfield, then working as a police officer, was accused of raping his 23-month-old niece with a hot object, most likely a curling iron. A Middlesex County
grand jury overseen by Coakley investigated the case and did not take any actions. After the toddler's mother filed applications for criminal complaints, Coakley then obtained grand jury indictments charging rape and assault and battery. She recommended about ten months after the indictment that Winfield be released, without bail. Winfield remained free until December 2007, when he received two life terms in prison in a case prosecuted by Coakley's successor. Coakley has defended her decisions, saying that Winfield had a clean record and few other signs of danger.
administrations. It was suggested that he could have benefited from voters who associated him with the Kennedy family
, which he acknowledged, saying "I'm not going to be delusional, there will be hard-core Kennedy voters who will pull the wrong lever." However, Boston University
political scientist Thomas Whalen said that Kennedy's libertarian
views may cause him to detract votes from Brown rather than Coakley.
5.2 million in total, and had $937,383 cash on hand. Scott Brown had $367,150 cash on hand. Brown spent $450,000 on television advertisements
, while Coakley spent $1.4 million. A week before the general election, Brown raised $1.3 million from over 16,000 donors in a 24-hour fund-raising effort. Reports also indicated that Brown raised an average of $1 million per day the week prior to the election. This outpouring of support from the Internet offset what had been relatively less support from national Republican committees, who had decided not to publicly target the race.
Coakley admitted to making an "honest mistake" while filing the financial disclosure forms for her Senate run claiming to have no personal assets when in fact she had an account under her husband's name with over $200,000 and a personal Individual Retirement Account
containing approximately $12,000.
Approximately US$
23 million was spent on the election.
on January 5, and broadcast by WTKK
. The January 8 debate was held in Springfield, Massachusetts
and broadcast by WGBY-TV
. The final debate was held on January 11 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston
.
, the Cape Cod Times
, The Eagle-Tribune, the Telegram & Gazette, The Sun The Martha's Vineyard Times
, and The Salem News
endorsed Brown for the general election, while The Boston Globe
The Boston Phoenix
, and the Watertown Tab & Press endorsed Coakley. Vicki Kennedy, wife of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, endorsed Coakley, along with other members of the Kennedy family
, while former presidential candidates John McCain
and Rudy Giuliani
, NFL Quarterback Doug Flutie
, and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
endorsed Brown. Both former President
Bill Clinton
and President Barack Obama
actively campaigned for Coakley in the final days of the campaign. Former governors Bill Weld and Mitt Romney
also endorsed Brown, with Weld actively campaigning with him in places like Quincy and Romney emailing supporters to get out the vote to turn out for Brown on Tuesday. The national Tea Party Express endorsed Brown.
was criticized by one reporter for perceived bias against Brown, while Fox News has been accused of favoring Brown. One journalist reported that CNN
and Fox News may have delivered more balanced coverage on the election day itself, providing both Republican and Democratic commentators.
On Fox's Hannity
on January 11, political commentator Dick Morris
solicited donations for a last-minute Brown advertising buy before the election, and said "please, please help (elect Brown)". Brown himself made several appearances on various Fox programs, including Special Report, two within a 24-hour-period, where he made fundraising solicitations.
. At 9:06 pm BNO News projected Brown as the winner of the race. At 9:13 p.m., The Boston Globe
reported that Coakley telephoned Brown and conceded the election. The best county for Brown was Plymouth, with 62.77% while the best county for Coakley was Berkshire with 68.48%.
The final results certified on 4 February 2010 were:
Source:
and The Boston Globe
reported voting results for each of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts. Brown won in 229 of those 351 municipalities, while Coakley won in 121. Coakley and Brown tied in the small town of Hawley
, each receiving 63 votes. In general, Scott Brown drew support from suburban towns in the central and southeastern portions of the state, while Martha Coakley generally fared well in the cities, rural towns in the west and the offshore islands. More specifically, support for Brown tended to be high in Hampden County
,the 495 Corridor
, the South Shore suburbs and the southwestern part of Cape Cod
. Brown also won or ran close to even in a number of historically Democratic working class cities such as Worcester
, Lowell
and Quincy
. Coakley generally fared well in the Berkshires and the cities, and had particularly strong support in college town
s such as Amherst
, Northampton
and Cambridge
.
The central and southeastern parts of the state that favored Brown in 2010 experienced steep drops in the Democratic share of the vote – often more than 15% – compared to the vote for Barack Obama in 2008. , towns in those same areas also had a higher average unemployment rate, 8.7%, compared to that of the rest of the state at 7.7%. At 51%, towns where the Democratic share of the vote declined by less than 10% from 2008 for Obama to 2010 for Coakley had a higher percentage of people with a bachelor's degree
compared to that of the rest of the state, 31%.
Voter turnout in the 2010 special election was significantly lower than in the 2008 election. The drop in turnout was smallest—around 25%—in areas that supported Obama in the 2008 election by less than 60%. Turnout fell 30% among towns that supported Obama by over 60%. In Boston, which supported Obama by almost 79% in 2008, the decrease in 2010 voter turnout was even more pronounced, at about 35%.
, which had amassed nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer. At his victory speech, Brown said "I'm Scott Brown. I'm from Wrentham. I drive a truck"
Another critical event in the Brown surge was his debate performance on January 11. When asked by moderator David Gergen
why he would oppose health care reform while holding the "Kennedy seat", Brown replied "It's not the Kennedy seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It's the people's seat". After the debate "people's seat" became a rallying cry for Brown supporters.
Brown's late surge was made possible by support by conservative bloggers, who immediately after the Massachusetts primary began promoting his candidacy among national conservative activists, who sought to challenge the Democrats in every election. At the same time, national Republicans were not publicly targeting the campaign, leading one paper to claim Brown was "left to fend for himself". Undaunted, the Brown campaign succeeded through its moneybomb
in raising millions of dollars from Internet donations down the stretch run of the campaign.
against President Barack Obama
. Brown even stated that he didn't believe that it was an election.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Class I United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013. It was won by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
.
The vacancy that prompted the special election was created by the death of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
on August 25, 2009. (Kennedy served as Senator since 1962, having been elected in a special election in 1962
United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 1962
The United States Senate special election of 1962 in Massachusetts was held on November 6, 1962.-History:Senator John F. Kennedy resigned the seat to become President of the United States after winning the presidential election in 1960. Benjamin A...
to fill the vacancy created when his brother John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was elected President of the United States in 1960
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
.) The seat was held until the election by an appointee, Senator Paul Kirk, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
, who was not a candidate in the election to complete the term.
A party primary election determining the winners of party nominations was held on December 8, 2009. The Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominated Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
, the Massachusetts Attorney General
Massachusetts Attorney General
The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....
; The Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominated Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
, a Massachusetts State Senator
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
.
The race drew national attention due to Brown's unexpectedly closing the gap and running even with, or ahead of, Coakley in independent and internal polling in the last few days of the campaign.
Polls closed at 8:00 pm Eastern Time
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. At 9:06 pm, BNO News projected Brown as the winner of the race. At 9:13 p.m., The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
reported that Coakley telephoned Brown and conceded her defeat in the election. As a result of the election, the Republicans would control 41 seats in the United States Senate, enough to maintain a filibuster. Although Democrats would retain control of both Houses of Congress until the November 2010 elections, Scott Brown's victory would greatly affect their political plans, most notably for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a United States federal statute signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law is the principal health care reform legislation of the 111th United States Congress...
.
Timeline
Massachusetts law requires a special election to be held on a Tuesday, no fewer than 145 days, nor more than 160 days from the date of office vacancy, on a date determined by the governor. That range placed the election date between January 17 and February 1, 2010. Massachusetts law specifies that a party primary shall be held the sixth Tuesday before the general election. On August 28, 2009, Secretary of the CommonwealthMassachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth is the principal public information officer of the state government of the U.S...
William F. Galvin
William F. Galvin
William Francis Galvin is the 27th and current Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth .-Early life and career:...
presented the dates January 19 and January 26, 2010, after meetings with State House Speaker Robert DeLeo
Robert DeLeo (politician)
Robert A. DeLeo is an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the father of two children, Robbie and Rachele....
, State Senate President
President of the Massachusetts Senate
The President of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. In the United States Congress, the Vice President of the United States is the ex officio President of the United States Senate. In Massachusetts, however, the President of the Senate is elected from and by the Senators...
Therese Murray
Therese Murray
Therese Murray is an American state legislator who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate since March 2007. Murray, a Democrat, is the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court...
, and aides to Governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
. Patrick was legally required to select one of these two dates. A January 19 election would require the primary to be held on December 8, while a January 26 election would have required a December 15 primary. Republican State Representative
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
Karyn Polito
Karyn Polito
Karyn Polito is an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. Since 2001 she has been a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the Eleventh Worcester - consisting of the town of Shrewsbury, and precincts 1 and 4 of the town of Westborough, both in the county...
suggested on August 28, 2009, that, because the possible election dates overlap the holiday season, the law ought to be rewritten to allow the special election to be held on November 3, 2009, to coincide with other elections in the state.
Patrick stated on August 29, 2009, that he wanted to honor a request by Kennedy that any appointee to the seat not run, and that he would address the issue of the election date "after we have finished this period of respectful grief." On August 31, 2009, Patrick scheduled the special election for January 19, 2010, with the primary elections on December 8, 2009. For party primary candidates, completed nomination papers with certified signatures were required to be filed by the close of business, November 3, 2009. Non-party candidates had a December 8, 2009, filing deadline.
Qualifications
A senator must, by the date of inauguration, be at least thirty years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and a state inhabitant of the state he or she wishes to represent. In Massachusetts, candidates for U.S. Senate must file nomination papers with certified signatures of 10,000 Massachusetts voters, by deadlines established by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. A candidate for nomination in a party's special primary election must have been an enrolled member of the party, through filing as a member of that party with the Secretary of the Commonwealth using a certificate of voter registrationVoter registration
Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
, for the 90 days preceding the filing deadline, unless the candidate is a newly-registered voter. The candidate additionally must not have been enrolled in any other party in the prior year.
Appointment
In 2004, the Massachusetts General CourtMassachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
withdrew the authority of the governor to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy by appointment, to prevent the then-Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, from appointing a Republican to fill the remainder of Democrat John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
's Senate term, if Kerry were to win the 2004 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
. The legislation was enacted over Romney's veto. At that time, Senator Ted Kennedy successfully made personal appeals to Massachusetts Democratic legislative leaders to pass the bill, which was stalled prior to his request.
Seven days before his death, Kennedy communicated his desire to amend the law so that upon a vacancy, the governor might appoint a Senator to serve until the special election occurred and avoid a five-month vacancy for the office. Kennedy sent a letter to the governor and legislative leaders (received on August 18, 2009, and dated July 2, 2009) requesting that they consider changing the law, and that the Governor obtain the personal pledge of such an appointee to not become a candidate in the following special election. John Kerry, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, and State House Speaker Robert DeLeo
Robert DeLeo (politician)
Robert A. DeLeo is an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the father of two children, Robbie and Rachele....
all expressed support for an interim appointment.
Patrick stated that he wished to honor the request by Kennedy that any appointee pledge not to run in the special election. The legality of such a demand in state law is questioned by Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin
William F. Galvin
William Francis Galvin is the 27th and current Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth .-Early life and career:...
, as the qualifications for office to Congress are specified solely in the Constitution. Robert DeLeo stated that both the Senate and the House of Representatives planned to approve resolutions indicating that they did not want the appointee to run in the special election or become involved with any candidate's campaign.
A bill previously pending before the legislature, filed by State Rep. Robert M. Koczera of New Bedford in January 2009, proposed to permit the governor to appoint a senator; to enjoin the governor from appointing a candidate in a subsequent special election; and to permit the appointment date to occur only after the filing deadline for the special election had passed. Governor Patrick said he would push the General Court to pass the bill, and that he would sign it into law. The General Court held its first hearing on the legislation on September 9.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
approved legislation to give Governor Patrick the power to appoint an interim senator on September 17, 2009, by a 95–58 vote. The Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
approved the measure on September 22, 2009, by a vote of 24 to 16,
and both houses of the General Court gave final approval to the bill on September 23.
On September 24, 2009, Patrick appointed Paul G. Kirk, former Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
chairman and aide to Ted Kennedy, to serve until the elected successor took office. Kennedy's two sons, Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick J. Kennedy
Patrick Joseph Kennedy II is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Bristol County and Newport County, and parts of Providence County. Kennedy did not seek re-election in 2010.A member of the Kennedy...
and Edward Kennedy, Jr.
Edward Kennedy, Jr.
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy, Jr. is an American entrepreneur, investment banker and lawyer. He is a co-founder and the president of the , a financial-services firm headquartered in New York City, New York....
, and his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Victoria Reggie Kennedy
Victoria Reggie "Vicki" Kennedy is an American lawyer and the widow of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.-Early life and education:...
, had all expressed their preference for Kirk. Kirk was sworn in to office on Friday September 25, 2009.
He pledged not to be a candidate in the special election.
Primaries
Democratic primary
Candidates- Martha CoakleyMartha CoakleyMartha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
, Massachusetts Attorney GeneralMassachusetts Attorney GeneralThe Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....
, announced her candidacy on September 3, 2009. - Mike CapuanoMike CapuanoMichael Everett "Mike" Capuano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy and Tip O'Neill, includes the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well as Somerville and Cambridge...
, , announced his candidacy on September 18, 2009. - Alan KhazeiAlan KhazeiAlan Khazei is an American social entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Be the Change, Inc., a Boston-based group dedicated to building national coalitions of non-profit organizations and citizens to enact legislation on issues such as poverty and education...
, co-founder and former CEOChief executive officerA chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of City YearCity YearCity Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention keeping students in school and on track to graduate...
, announced his candidacy on September 24, 2009. - Stephen PagliucaStephen PagliucaStephen Pagliuca is a private equity investor, managing partner of Bain Capital, and co-owner of the Boston Celtics.In 2003, Pagliuca, along with Irving and Wyc Grousbeck, Robert Epstein, William P...
, a managing director of private equityPrivate equityPrivate equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm Bain CapitalBain CapitalBain Capital LLC is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. Originally conceived as an early-stage, growth-oriented investment fund, Bain Capital today manages approximately $65 billion in assets, and its strategies include private...
and managing partner of the Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
basketball team, announced his candidacy on September 17, 2009.
Polling
| Source | Date(s) administered | Mike Capuano Mike Capuano Michael Everett "Mike" Capuano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy and Tip O'Neill, includes the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well as Somerville and Cambridge... |
Martha Coakley Martha Coakley Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007.... |
Alan Khazei Alan Khazei Alan Khazei is an American social entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Be the Change, Inc., a Boston-based group dedicated to building national coalitions of non-profit organizations and citizens to enact legislation on issues such as poverty and education... |
Stephen Pagliuca Stephen Pagliuca Stephen Pagliuca is a private equity investor, managing partner of Bain Capital, and co-owner of the Boston Celtics.In 2003, Pagliuca, along with Irving and Wyc Grousbeck, Robert Epstein, William P... |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and... (report)Sample size: 567, margin of error: ±4% |
November 23 | 21% | 36% | 14% | 14% | 5% |
| The Boston Globe The Boston Globe The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993... (report)(graphic)Sample size: 537, margin of error: ±4.4% |
November 13–18 | 22% | 43% | 6% | 15% | — |
| Suffolk University Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston... (report)Sample size: 600, margin of error: ±4% |
November 4–8 | 16% | 44% | 3% | 17% | — |
| Research 2000 Research 2000 Research 2000 is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Olney, Maryland. It began doing research on upcoming elections in 1999 after its President, Del Ali, moved on from Mason-Dixon Political Media Research... (report)Sample size: 400, margin of error: ±5% |
October 28–29 | 16% | 42% | 5% | 15% | — |
| Lake Research Celinda Lake Celinda Lake is a pollster and political strategist for the Democratic Party in the United States of America.-Background and education:A native of Montana, Lake earned her Master's degree in Political Science and Survey Research from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She attended Smith... (report)Sample size: 800, margin of error: ±3.5% |
September 21–24 | 12% | 47% | 1% | 4% | — |
| Suffolk University (report)Sample size: 500, margin of error: ±4.4% | September 16 | 9% | 47% | 3% | — | 6% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report)Sample size: 611, margin of error: ±4% | image1= September 8 | 7% | 38% | — | — | 24% |
Results
Republican primary
Candidates- Scott BrownScott BrownScott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
, State SenatorMassachusetts SenateThe Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
from WrenthamWrentham, MassachusettsWrentham is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,955 at the 2010 census.- History :Wrentham was first settled by the English in 1660 and officially incorporated in 1673. It was burned down during King Philip's War 1675-1676. For a short time, it was the...
, announced his candidacy on September 12, 2009. He previously announced, on September 6, 2009, that he was exploringExploratory CommitteeIn the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls, prior to the primaries.Exploratory...
becoming a candidate under the "testing the waters" provisions of federal election law, and intended to announce his decision on whether he would become a candidate on September 9 or 10, 2009. On September 9, Brown said that he would not run if George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's White House Chief of StaffWhite House Chief of StaffThe White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
Andrew CardAndrew CardAndrew Hill Card, Jr. is a Republican American politician, former United States Cabinet member, and head of President George W. Bush's White House Iraq Group. Card served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President George H. W. Bush and the White House Chief of Staff under George W. Bush...
entered the race. On September 11, Card declined to run and offered his support to Brown. - Jack E. Robinson IIIJack E. Robinson IIIJack E. Robinson III is an African-American Republican politician from Massachusetts. He ran for the United States Senate in 2000 against Ted Kennedy and Carla Howell , losing to Kennedy. He ran for Secretary of the Commonwealth in 2002 losing to William F...
, former nominee for U.S. Senate (2000)United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2000The 2000 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy won re-election to a sixth full term.-Democratic:* Ted Kennedy, incumbent U.S. Senator first elected in 1962-Republican:...
, Secretary of the Commonwealth (2002), and U.S. House of Representatives (2006)
Polling
| Source | Dates administered | Scott Brown Scott Brown Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State... |
Jack E. Robinson III Jack E. Robinson III Jack E. Robinson III is an African-American Republican politician from Massachusetts. He ran for the United States Senate in 2000 against Ted Kennedy and Carla Howell , losing to Kennedy. He ran for Secretary of the Commonwealth in 2002 losing to William F... |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston... (report) |
November 4–8 | 45% | 7% | 47% |
Results
Other candidates
IndependentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
or third party
Third party (United States)
The term third party is used in the United States for any and all political parties in the United States other than one of the two major parties . The term can also refer to independent politicians not affiliated with any party at all and to write-in candidates.The United States has had a...
candidates had until December 8, 2009, to submit nomination papers for signature certification.
- Joseph L. Kennedy, a member of the Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
, ran as an independentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. He has no relation to the politically prominent Kennedy familyKennedy familyIn the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
.
Campaign
On January 14, 2010, Stuart RothenbergStuart Rothenberg
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst best known for his Washington-based, biweekly, self-proclaimed non-partisan political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report...
of The Rothenberg Political Report, Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook , originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, is an American political analyst who specializes in election forecasts and political trends. He attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He delivers election forecasts and rankings in his own publication, The Cook Political Report,...
of The Cook Political Report and statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
of FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...
all characterized the race as a tossup. On January 15, 2010, former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
campaigned for Coakley in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, while former Mayor of New York City
Mayor of New York City
The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...
Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
campaigned for Brown in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
campaigned for Coakley on January 17, 2010. On January 17, Cook said that Brown had become the slight favorite. The Rothenberg Political Report and Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
of FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...
changed their ratings from "Tossup" to "Lean Takeover" on January 18.
CQ Politics and Cook Political Report rated the election as a "Tossup". The Rothenberg Political Report changed its rating from "Tossup" to "Lean Takeover" on January 18. Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report stated on January 17, says that he would put his "finger on the scale" for Scott Brown as favored to win. The Rothenberg Political Report released a statement that, "unless Democratic turnout exceeds everyone's expectations, Brown is headed for a comfortable win." As of January 18, Brown led Coakley in the Intrade
Intrade
Intrade is an online trading exchange website. The website's members speculate on the outcomes of non-sports-related future events. Intrade was founded by John Delaney in 2001 and acquired by Tradesports in 2003. Dublin-based owner Trade Exchange Network Limited also operated TradeBetX.com, which...
prediction market by high double-digit margins. Statistician Nate Silver
Nate Silver
Nathaniel Read "Nate" Silver is an American statistician, psephologist, and writer. Silver first gained public recognition for developing PECOTA, a system for forecasting the performance and career development of Major League Baseball players, which he sold to and then managed for Baseball...
of FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight.com
FiveThirtyEight is a polling aggregation website with a blog created by Nate Silver. Sometimes colloquially referred to as 538 dot com or just 538, the website takes its name from the number of electors in the United States electoral college...
projected on January 18 that there was a 75% chance that Brown would defeat Coakley.
Brown won the special election by a mid-single digits margin of the vote, outperforming previous Republican candidates in Republican strongholds and remaining competitive even in several traditionally Democratic-leaning precincts. With his victory, he became the first Massachusetts Republican elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
since Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke
Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...
in 1972.
Scott Brown
Scott Brown considers himself a fiscal conservativeFiscal conservatism
Fiscal conservatism is a political term used to describe a fiscal policy that advocates avoiding deficit spending. Fiscal conservatives often consider reduction of overall government spending and national debt as well as ensuring balanced budget of paramount importance...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
outsider. He said "I have always thought that being in government service is a privilege, not a right. This Senate seat doesn't belong to any one person or political party. It belongs to you, the people, and the people deserve a U.S. senator who will always put your interests first." Brown has called for fiscal restraint and smaller government
Small government
A Small government is one which minimizes its own activities. It is a concept important to classical liberalism and libertarianism.-In Hong Kong:...
, claiming that he has never voted for a tax increase. Brown has also pledged to be the 41st vote against the current health care reform
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
bill in the Senate. Assistant Professor Boris Schor of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
's Harris School of Public Policy Studies
Harris School of Public Policy Studies
The Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies is the public policy school of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is one of the top policy schools in the United States. It is located on the University's main campus in Hyde Park...
has described Brown as a liberal Republican by national standards, but well suited for his Massachusetts constituency.
Scott Brown has drawn attention for having appeared nude and semi-nude with his hands covering his genitals in a centerfold
Centerfold
The centerfold of a magazine refers to a gatefolded spread, usually a portrait such as a pin-up or a nude, inserted in the middle of the publication, or to the model featured in the portrait...
in Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
in 1982.
In the special election campaign in 2010, controversy erupted over a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
amendment Brown sponsored in 2005, which, according to The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, "would have allowed a doctor, nurse or hospital to deny rape victims an emergency contraceptive if it 'conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief.'" In the candidates' January 5 debate, Brown stated that he continues to support religious hospitals in refusing to provide emergency contraception, causing the woman to go to another hospital. He said, "That's really up to the hospital. There are many, many hospitals that can deal with that situation." Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
ran a television advertisement attacking Brown over that saying, "Brown even favors letting hospitals deny emergency contraception to rape victims." Brown's daughter Ayla called the Coakley advertisement "completely inaccurate and misleading", and Brown criticized Coakley for running what he described as "attack ads".
Scott Brown filed an ethics complaint stating that the Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union
Service Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada...
(SEIU) Local 509 used state computers and e-mail addresses to direct employees of the state to volunteer for Coakley's campaign.
During a State Senate debate in 2001, Brown referred to the decision of his lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
Democratic opponent, Cheryl Jacques
Cheryl Jacques
Cheryl Ann Jacques is a United States politician who, beginning in January 2004, served for 11 months as president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, advocacy organization...
, to have children as "not normal". He also described her parenting role as "alleged family responsibilities." Several Massachusetts LGBT activists condemned the statement. Brown quickly apologized for his "poor choice of words", and he defended his position on that issue as being anti-gay-marriage
Same-sex marriage in the United States
The federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. The lack of federal recognition was codified in 1996 by the Defense of Marriage Act, before Massachusetts became the first state to grant marriage licenses...
and pro-civil-unions
Civil union in the United States
A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to marriage. Many people are critical of civil unions because they say they represent separate status unequal to marriage...
.
Martha Coakley
Coakley positioned herself as a liberal, supporting several key initiatives of President Obama's, including healthcare reform. She supports reform that accomplishes the three goals of expanding coverage, improving healthcare outcomes and reducing costs. She supports increased regulation of the financial sector, the protection of abortion rights and ending the war in Afghanistan. Notably, Coakley has taken positions to increase equal rights for LGBT individuals; she favors ending Don't Ask, Don't TellDon't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act is a United States federal law whereby the federal government defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Under the law, no U.S. state may be required to recognize as a marriage a same-sex relationship considered a marriage in another state...
and strengthening hate crimes laws.
Coakley has refused to investigate Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, and his office for allegedly violating laws in regards to destruction of public e-mail records. Coakley denies all accusations of misconduct.
She also declined to reprimand the state's District Attorneys in relation to false statements they allegedly made regarding the effects of the state's voter approved Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative
Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative
The Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative, also known as Massachusetts Ballot Question 2, was an initiated state statute that replaced prior criminal penalties with new civil penalties on adults possessing an ounce or less of marijuana. The initiative appeared on the November 4, 2008 ballot in...
in an attempt to defeat the ballot question, as well as allegations the District Attorneys misused state resources (website) and failed to file as designated ballot committee in a timely manner while receiving contributions as required by law while challenging the initiative. The statements by the District Attorneys included allegedly inaccurate and misleading warnings in an effort to defeat the law, such as that if the law passed "any person may carry and use marijuana at any time." When declining to pursue the case Coakley's office responded with "nothing in the proposed law explicitly forbids public use of the drug". This basically ignores the fact that the law still levies a $100 fine and confiscation for adults, as well as additional mandatory community service for minors for the act of possession, and that using the drug requires possessing it, as well as the fact the law as passed allows cities to pass their own ordinances to further fine public consumption if needed. The failure to file as a ballot committee allegedly stems from the fact state records show the district attorneys began raising money as early as July 18, 2008, but did not file a statement of organization or any of the appropriate financial disclosures with the state until September 5, 2008. Coakley was herself a member of The Coalition for Safe Streets, the political action group eventually formed by the District Attorneys to fight the ballot question. She stated that she did not feel it was necessary to recuse herself from any decisions based on any possible conflict of interest grounds.
In a radio interview on January 16, 2010, Coakley described former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
as a "Yankee
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
fan," which drew criticism. Schilling, who considered running for the Senate seat himself and later endorsed Scott Brown, responded by saying "I've been called a lot of things ... but never, I mean never, could anyone make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn't know what the hell is going on in your own state maybe you could ..." Coakley later described the comment as a joke.
Two of Coakley's ads had to be reedited after they first aired, one because of a typo in spelling Massachusetts (spelling it ), and another which used old stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
of New York's World Trade Center, destroyed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, to represent Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
. The second ad was meant to depict Scott Brown as a Wall Street crony.
On January 12, 2010, an altercation occurred between The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...
journalist John McCormack and Democratic strategist Michael Meehan, in which the journalist was pushed onto the ground while trying to ask Coakley a question. Coakley stated she was aware of the incident but unsure of exactly what happened. Meehan later apologized for being "a little too aggressive," while denying any intention to knock down McCormack.
Coakley's role in the case of Keith Winfield has attracted criticism. In October 2005, Winfield, then working as a police officer, was accused of raping his 23-month-old niece with a hot object, most likely a curling iron. A Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
grand jury overseen by Coakley investigated the case and did not take any actions. After the toddler's mother filed applications for criminal complaints, Coakley then obtained grand jury indictments charging rape and assault and battery. She recommended about ten months after the indictment that Winfield be released, without bail. Winfield remained free until December 2007, when he received two life terms in prison in a case prosecuted by Coakley's successor. Coakley has defended her decisions, saying that Winfield had a clean record and few other signs of danger.
Joseph L. Kennedy
Kennedy opposes Democratic plans for healthcare reform and vowed, if elected, to work to repeal the legislation. He opposes government spending by both the George W. Bush and Barack ObamaPresidency of Barack Obama
The Presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. Obama was a United States Senator from Illinois at the time of his victory over Arizona Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential election...
administrations. It was suggested that he could have benefited from voters who associated him with the Kennedy family
Kennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
, which he acknowledged, saying "I'm not going to be delusional, there will be hard-core Kennedy voters who will pull the wrong lever." However, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
political scientist Thomas Whalen said that Kennedy's libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
views may cause him to detract votes from Brown rather than Coakley.
Finances
, Martha Coakley raised over US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5.2 million in total, and had $937,383 cash on hand. Scott Brown had $367,150 cash on hand. Brown spent $450,000 on television advertisements
Campaign advertising
'In politics, campaign advertising is the use of an advertising campaign through newspapers, radio commercials, television commercials, etc.) to influence the decisions made for and by groups. These ads are designed by political consultants and the political campaign staff...
, while Coakley spent $1.4 million. A week before the general election, Brown raised $1.3 million from over 16,000 donors in a 24-hour fund-raising effort. Reports also indicated that Brown raised an average of $1 million per day the week prior to the election. This outpouring of support from the Internet offset what had been relatively less support from national Republican committees, who had decided not to publicly target the race.
Coakley admitted to making an "honest mistake" while filing the financial disclosure forms for her Senate run claiming to have no personal assets when in fact she had an account under her husband's name with over $200,000 and a personal Individual Retirement Account
Individual Retirement Account
An individual retirement arrangement is the blanket term for a form of retirement plan that provides tax advantages for retirement savings in the United States...
containing approximately $12,000.
Approximately US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
23 million was spent on the election.
Debates
All three candidates participated in the debates. The first was held on the Jim & Margery show in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on January 5, and broadcast by WTKK
WTKK
WTKK is a New England commercial talk radio station, first broadcast out of Boston on 96.9 FM beginning in 1999. It can be heard in eastern Massachusetts, the northernmost area of Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine...
. The January 8 debate was held in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
and broadcast by WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV is a PBS station licensed to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a division of the WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, but has its own independent web presence, logo, and local programming. Its transmitter is located on the peak of Mt...
. The final debate was held on January 11 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
.
Endorsements
The Boston HeraldBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
, the Cape Cod Times
Cape Cod Times
The Cape Cod Times is a broadsheet daily newspaper serving Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Dow Jones Local Media Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is also the sister paper of the weekly The Barnstable Patriot.-History:The paper...
, The Eagle-Tribune, the Telegram & Gazette, The Sun The Martha's Vineyard Times
The Martha's Vineyard Times
The Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly newspaper published on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, United States. It is one of two broadsheet newspapers published in Martha's Vineyard; its competitor for readership is the Vineyard Gazette..-Ownership and Editorial Staff:Martha's...
, and The Salem News
The Salem News
The Salem News is a six-day afternoon daily newspaper serving southern Essex County, Massachusetts, USA. Although the paper is historically connected with the city of Salem, its offices are in nearby Beverly, Massachusetts...
endorsed Brown for the general election, while The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
The Boston Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
, and the Watertown Tab & Press endorsed Coakley. Vicki Kennedy, wife of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, endorsed Coakley, along with other members of the Kennedy family
Kennedy family
In the United States, the phrase Kennedy family commonly refers to the family descending from the marriage of the Irish-Americans Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald that was prominent in American politics and government. Their political involvement has revolved around the...
, while former presidential candidates John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, NFL Quarterback Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, and Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
endorsed Brown. Both former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
actively campaigned for Coakley in the final days of the campaign. Former governors Bill Weld and Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
also endorsed Brown, with Weld actively campaigning with him in places like Quincy and Romney emailing supporters to get out the vote to turn out for Brown on Tuesday. The national Tea Party Express endorsed Brown.
Media
In regards to the coverage of the election, MSNBCMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
was criticized by one reporter for perceived bias against Brown, while Fox News has been accused of favoring Brown. One journalist reported that CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and Fox News may have delivered more balanced coverage on the election day itself, providing both Republican and Democratic commentators.
On Fox's Hannity
Hannity
Hannity is a television show on the Fox News network, a replacement to the long-running show Hannity & Colmes. It is hosted by conservative political pundit Sean Hannity....
on January 11, political commentator Dick Morris
Dick Morris
Dick Morris is an American political author and commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant....
solicited donations for a last-minute Brown advertising buy before the election, and said "please, please help (elect Brown)". Brown himself made several appearances on various Fox programs, including Special Report, two within a 24-hour-period, where he made fundraising solicitations.
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of Error |
Scott Brown (R) |
Martha Coakley (D) |
Joseph L. Kennedy (I) |
Other | Unde- cided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Politico The Politico The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency... (report) |
January 17, 2010 | 804 | ± 3.4% | 52% | 43% | 2% | — | 3% |
| Public Policy Polling Public Policy Polling Public Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer... (report) |
January 16–17, 2010 | 1231 | ± 2.8% | 51% | 46% | — | — | 4% |
| CrossTarget Research (report) | January 16–17, 2010 | 571 | ± 4.09% | 52% | 42% | — | — | 6% |
| Daily Kos Daily Kos Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party... /Research 2000 Research 2000 Research 2000 is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Olney, Maryland. It began doing research on upcoming elections in 1999 after its President, Del Ali, moved on from Mason-Dixon Political Media Research... (report) |
January 15–17, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 48% | 48% | 3% | – | 1% |
| American Research Group American Research Group American Research Group, Incorporated is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Manchester, New Hampshire.-External links:*... (report) |
January 15–17, 2010 | 600 | ± 4% | 52% | 45% | 2% | – | 2% |
| Merriman River Group (report) | January 15, 2010 | 565 | ± 4% | 51% | 41% | 2% | – | 6% |
| CrossTarget Research (report) | January 14, 2010 | 946 | ± 3.19% | 54% | 39% | – | – | 8% |
| American Research Group American Research Group American Research Group, Incorporated is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Manchester, New Hampshire.-External links:*... (report) |
January 12–14, 2010 | 600 | ± 4% | 48% | 45% | 2% | – | 5% |
| Research 2000 Research 2000 Research 2000 is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Olney, Maryland. It began doing research on upcoming elections in 1999 after its President, Del Ali, moved on from Mason-Dixon Political Media Research... (report) |
January 12–13, 2010 | 500 | ± 4% | 41% | 49% | 5% | – | 5% |
| Suffolk University Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston... (report) |
January 11–13, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 46% | 3% | – | 1% |
| Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and... (report) |
January 11, 2010 | 1000 | ± 3% | 47% | 49% | 3% | – | 2% |
| Public Policy Polling (report) | January 7–9, 2010 | 744 | ± 3.6% | 48% | 47% | – | – | 6% |
| Rasmussen Reports (report) | January 4, 2010 | 500 | ± 4.5% | 41% | 50% | – | 1% | 7% |
| The Boston Globe The Boston Globe The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993... (report) |
January 2–6, 2010 | 554 | ± 4.2% | 35% | 50% | 5% | – | 9% |
| Suffolk University (report) | November 4–8, 2009 | 600 | ± 4% | 27% | 58% | – | 15% | 9% |
| Western New England College Western New England College Western New England University is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts. Academic programs are provided through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, School of Law, and College of Pharmacy.... (report) |
October 18–22, 2009 | 468 | ± 4.5% | 32% | 58% | – | 9% | 9% |
| Suffolk University (report) | September 16, 2009 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 24% | 54% | — | 20% | 9% |
Results
Polls closed at 8:00 pm Eastern TimeEastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. At 9:06 pm BNO News projected Brown as the winner of the race. At 9:13 p.m., The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
reported that Coakley telephoned Brown and conceded the election. The best county for Brown was Plymouth, with 62.77% while the best county for Coakley was Berkshire with 68.48%.
The final results certified on 4 February 2010 were:
By county
| County | Coakley % |
Coakley votes |
Brown % |
Brown votes |
Kennedy % |
Kennedy votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstable Barnstable County, Massachusetts Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902... |
41.7% | 43,609 | 57.4% | 59,990 | 0.9% | 901 |
| Berkshire Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield... |
68.5% | 29,847 | 30.5% | 13,294 | 1.0% | 443 |
| Bristol Bristol County, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile... |
42.8% | 71,493 | 56.0% | 93,474 | 1.2% | 1,930 |
| Dukes Dukes County, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,987 people, 6,421 households, and 3,788 families residing in the county. The population density was 144 people per square mile . There were 14,836 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile... |
64.3% | 4,915 | 34.5% | 2,641 | 1.2% | 92 |
| Essex Essex County, Massachusetts -National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:... |
42.6% | 108,336 | 56.5% | 143,897 | 0.9% | 2,323 |
| Franklin Franklin County, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile... |
62.7% | 17,318 | 35.7% | 9,876 | 1.6% | 446 |
| Hampden Hampden County, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile... |
44.0% | 57,813 | 54.5% | 71,641 | 1.5% | 1,950 |
| Hampshire Hampshire County, Massachusetts -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile... |
61.4% | 34,770 | 37.3% | 21,107 | 1.3% | 712 |
| Middlesex Middlesex County, Massachusetts -National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge... |
51.7% | 283,259 | 47.4% | 259,768 | 0.8% | 4,627 |
| Nantucket | 50.6% | 2,139 | 48.0% | 2,032 | 1.4% | 58 |
| Norfolk Norfolk County, Massachusetts -National protected areas:* Adams National Historical Park* Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area * Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site* John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site-Demographics:... |
43.6% | 120,041 | 55.5% | 152,784 | 0.8% | 2,262 |
| Plymouth Plymouth County, Massachusetts Plymouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2010, the population was 494,919. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton... |
36.6% | 49,619 | 62.5% | 84,680 | 0.8% | 1,132 |
| Suffolk Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site... |
66.2% | 115,774 | 32.8% | 57,350 | 1.0% | 1,807 |
| Worcester Worcester County, Massachusetts -Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density... |
37.9% | 99,803 | 60.9% | 160,274 | 1.2% | 3,087 |
| Total | 47.1% | 1,058,682 | 51.9% | 1,168,107 | 1.0% | 22,237 |
Source:
By municipality
The Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
reported voting results for each of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts. Brown won in 229 of those 351 municipalities, while Coakley won in 121. Coakley and Brown tied in the small town of Hawley
Hawley, Massachusetts
Hawley is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 337 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, each receiving 63 votes. In general, Scott Brown drew support from suburban towns in the central and southeastern portions of the state, while Martha Coakley generally fared well in the cities, rural towns in the west and the offshore islands. More specifically, support for Brown tended to be high in Hampden County
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
,the 495 Corridor
Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 495 is the designation of an Interstate Highway half-beltway in Massachusetts. It was the longest auxiliary Interstate Highway of its kind—measuring 120.74 miles —until 1996, when the PA Route 9 section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was redesignated as Interstate 476, making it about ...
, the South Shore suburbs and the southwestern part of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. Brown also won or ran close to even in a number of historically Democratic working class cities such as Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. Coakley generally fared well in the Berkshires and the cities, and had particularly strong support in college town
College town
A college town or university town is a community which is dominated by its university population...
s such as Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
The central and southeastern parts of the state that favored Brown in 2010 experienced steep drops in the Democratic share of the vote – often more than 15% – compared to the vote for Barack Obama in 2008. , towns in those same areas also had a higher average unemployment rate, 8.7%, compared to that of the rest of the state at 7.7%. At 51%, towns where the Democratic share of the vote declined by less than 10% from 2008 for Obama to 2010 for Coakley had a higher percentage of people with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
compared to that of the rest of the state, 31%.
Voter turnout in the 2010 special election was significantly lower than in the 2008 election. The drop in turnout was smallest—around 25%—in areas that supported Obama in the 2008 election by less than 60%. Turnout fell 30% among towns that supported Obama by over 60%. In Boston, which supported Obama by almost 79% in 2008, the decrease in 2010 voter turnout was even more pronounced, at about 35%.
Analysis
After the election, senior Brown adviser Eric Fehrnstrom stated that the turning point for Brown was the December 30 "JFK ad" which put the campaign on the map. "After that, it was like riding a rocket ship for 2½ to 3 weeks till today," he said. Another widely aired Brown TV ad featured him crisscrossing the state in his 2005 GMC Canyon pickup truckPickup truck
A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
, which had amassed nearly 200,000 miles on the odometer. At his victory speech, Brown said "I'm Scott Brown. I'm from Wrentham. I drive a truck"
Another critical event in the Brown surge was his debate performance on January 11. When asked by moderator David Gergen
David Gergen
David Richmond Gergen is an American political consultant and former presidential advisor who served during the administrations of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is currently Director of the Center for Public Leadership and a professor of public service at Harvard Kennedy School. Gergen is...
why he would oppose health care reform while holding the "Kennedy seat", Brown replied "It's not the Kennedy seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It's the people's seat". After the debate "people's seat" became a rallying cry for Brown supporters.
Brown's late surge was made possible by support by conservative bloggers, who immediately after the Massachusetts primary began promoting his candidacy among national conservative activists, who sought to challenge the Democrats in every election. At the same time, national Republicans were not publicly targeting the campaign, leading one paper to claim Brown was "left to fend for himself". Undaunted, the Brown campaign succeeded through its moneybomb
Moneybomb
Moneybomb is a neologism coined in 2007 to describe a grassroots fundraising effort over a brief fixed time period, usually to support a candidate for election by dramatically increasing, concentrating, and publicizing fundraising activity during a specific hour or day...
in raising millions of dollars from Internet donations down the stretch run of the campaign.
National response
The election was viewed by conservatives outside of Massachusetts as a referendumReferendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
against President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Brown even stated that he didn't believe that it was an election.
Response from Democrats
- President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, via political advisor David AxelrodDavid AxelrodDavid Axelrod may refer to:* David Axelrod * David Axelrod , Senior Advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama* David B. Axelrod , poet and educator...
- "I think that there were a lot of elements to the message [in the election]. Health care was part of it."
- Anthony Weiner (D-NY)- "I think you can make a pretty good argument that health care might be dead."
- Jim WebbJim WebbJames Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(D-VA)- ″The race was a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated.″
- Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
(D-CA)- ″Whatever happens in Massachusetts, we will pass quality, affordable health care for all Americans and it will be soon.″
- Harry ReidHarry ReidHarry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
(D-NV)- "We're not going to rush into anything, we're going to wait until the new senator arrives before we do anything more on health care."
- Steny HoyerSteny HoyerSteny Hamilton Hoyer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1981. The district includes a large swath of rural and suburban territory southeast of Washington, D.C.. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
(D-MD)- "We will all be making a mistake if we believe that the message that was delivered in Massachusetts last night was unique to Massachusetts. That anger was directed, frankly, at all of us."
- Barney FrankBarney FrankBarney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
(D-MA)- "I think the measure that would have passed, that is, some compromise between the House and Senate bill, which I would have voted for, although there were some aspects of both bills I would have liked to see change, I think that's dead. It is certainly the case that the bill that would have passed, a compromise between the House and Senate bills, isn't going to pass, in my judgment, and certainly shouldn't. We are back to where we were maybe even years ago. That is, there is now no bill that I believe can pass or should pass. Sen. Snowe may be willing to work now with her Democratic colleagues, and maybe 3, 4, 5, 6 other Republicans would be, to try and put something together. If that's not the case, and Sen. Snowe and others aren't for some fairly significant changes, then we'll go into the election with the health care status quo."
- Debbie StabenowDebbie StabenowDeborah Ann Greer "Debbie" Stabenow is the junior United States Senator from Michigan and a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to the U.S. Senate, she was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2001...
(D-MI)- "At this point, we'll be looking to see what the mood of the House is and what they want to do. There's no willingness to abandon ship on healthcare. I would be very satisfied if the House passed what the Senate did and then we can work on those areas that need to be strengthened or fixed. Those of us who worked very hard on the Senate bill believe that this is a good bill. It's not perfect; neither is the House bill. But the reality is, this would be a major step forward for lowering costs for families [and] small businesses [and] strengthening Medicare."
- Russ FeingoldRuss FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
(D-WI)- "It's probably back to the drawing board on health care, which is unfortunate, because everybody agrees we have to do something about health care and so it would be unfortunate to lose this whole effort."
Response from Republicans
Republicans and conservatives nationally were elated at the results, calling the election the "Massachusetts Miracle".- John CornynJohn CornynJohn Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
(R-TX)- "Democrats nationwide should be on notice: Americans are ready to hold the party in power accountable for their irresponsible spending and out-of-touch agenda, and they're ready for real change in Washington. This is very energizing to a lot of people, Republicans and independents."
- Mitch McConnellMitch McConnellAddison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
(R-KY)- "There's a reason the nation was focused on this race. The American people have made it abundantly clear that they're more interested in shrinking unemployment than expanding government. They're tired of bailouts. They're tired of the government spending more than ever at a time when most people are spending less. And they don't want the government taking over health care."
- John BoehnerJohn BoehnerJohn Andrew Boehner is the 61st and current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he is the U.S. Representative from , serving since 1991...
(R-OH)- "For nine months, I've talked to you about the political rebellion that's been brewing in America. It manifested itself in August at town hall meetings around the country. We saw it manifest itself in what happened in Virginia and New Jersey back in November. And we saw it manifest itself again last night in Massachusetts, when the people of Massachusetts stood up and said, 'enough is enough.' And it's pretty clear that while the American people continue to speak, the Democrat leadership here in this House continues to ignore them and is looking for some way to continue to press this health care bill to a vote."
- Eric CantorEric CantorEric Ivan Cantor is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011...
(R-VA)- "The American people, the people of Massachusetts last night have rejected the arrogance. They are tired of being told by Washington how to think and what to do,"
- John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
(R-AZ)- "Last night, a shot was fired around this nation: saying no more business as usual in Washington, D.C."
- Olympia SnoweOlympia SnoweOlympia Jean Snowe , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins,...
(R-ME)- "I never say anything is dead, but I think that clearly they're going to have to revisit the entire issue. I think that was true from the outset. I think there were a lot of concerns that ultimately, collectively manifested themselves in yesterday's vote. The American people are rightfully frustrated and they should be. This process is not becoming of this institution, the United States Congress. You can't drive a policy that doesn't have the support of the American people."
- Susan CollinsSusan CollinsSusan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...
(R-ME)- "They want better performance out of Washington, they want us focusing on the troubled economy and the need for more jobs and they're tired of sweetheart deals that were sneaked into the health care bill. They want that kind of bill to be negotiated in the open. And they're tired of politics as usual and they also want controls. They don't want unfettered, one-party control, and a bill that imposes billions of dollars for new taxes, slashes Medicare by $500 billion and would actually cause insurance rates to go up. We really should start from scratch and do a completely bipartisan bill."
External links
- Elections Division of Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]
- Massachusetts U.S. Senate from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions from Open SecretsOpen SecretsOpen Secrets is a book of short stories by Alice Munro published by McClelland and Stewart in 1994. It was nominated for the 1994 Governor General's Award for English Fiction.-Stories:* "Carried Away"* "A Real Life"...
- 2010 Massachusetts Senate Special graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- 2010 Massachusetts Senate Race from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Media coverage
- The 2010 Massachusetts Senate Race from The Boston GlobeThe Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
- Local Politics from the Boston HeraldBoston HeraldThe Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
- The 2010 Massachusetts Senate Race from The Boston Globe
- Debates
- Massachusetts Senate Democratic Candidate Debate C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, October 26, 2009 - Debate on the Jim and Margery radio show in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, broadcast by WTKKWTKKWTKK is a New England commercial talk radio station, first broadcast out of Boston on 96.9 FM beginning in 1999. It can be heard in eastern Massachusetts, the northernmost area of Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine...
(podcast part1 and part2), January 5, 2010 - Debate at SpringfieldSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, broadcast by WGBY-TVWGBY-TVWGBY-TV is a PBS station licensed to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a division of the WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, but has its own independent web presence, logo, and local programming. Its transmitter is located on the peak of Mt...
(Quicktime video and Windows media video), January 8, 2010 - US Senate Debate, Edward M. Kennedy Institute at the University of Massachusetts BostonUniversity of Massachusetts BostonThe University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, January 11, 2010 - Massachusetts Senate Debate, C-SPANC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
, January 11, 2010
- Massachusetts Senate Democratic Candidate Debate C-SPAN
- Official campaign sites