- 64% oppose gay marraige
Romney celebrates Brown win; McQuilken won't concede yet
By Michael Kunzelman / News Staff Writer
Thursday, March 4, 2004
BOSTON -- Looking past a possible recount in Tuesday's state Senate election, Gov. Mitt Romney hailed state Rep. Scott Brown's apparent victory as proof that the Republican Party's campaign to reform state government is resonating with voters.
Romney, flanked yesterday by Brown at a press conference in the corner office, said Brown's defeat of Millis Democrat Angus McQuilken ushers in "a new day in Massachusetts politics."
"The Democratic machine up on Beacon Hill worked very hard for Angus, and they didn't win," Romney said. "Against all those odds, a candidate stepped forward, fought with a message of reform and was able to win."
McQuilken has not conceded defeat, however, even though Brown's campaign has claimed a margin of victory of 350 votes.
Yesterday morning, McQuilken said he was still deciding whether to seek a recount.
"With an election this close, just a few hundred votes out of 40,000 ballots cast, that is by anybody's definition a close outcome," he said. "This decision is about what's best for voters. I feel I owe it to those voters to consider what options are available."
If McQuilken decides to ask for a recount, he must notify Secretary of State William Galvin's office by Monday at 5 p.m.
A recount would be automatically ordered by Galvin if the official tally has McQuilken losing by under one-half of 1 percent.
If McQuilken lost by more than one-half of 1 percent, then he would be required to obtain at least 10 signatures from each of the 51 voting precincts in the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District before he could file a petition for a recount.
McQuilken would have to file those signatures with local town and city clerks within 10 days of Tuesday's special election.
"If he gets those signatures, then there would be a recount," said Galvin spokesman Brian McNiff.
Romney conceded that McQuilken has "every right" to challenge the outcome of the election, but Brown said a recount does not fit with the Democrats' rationale for scheduling the election on the same day as the presidential primary.
Senate Democrats have claimed that piggy-backing the senatorial election on the presidential primary would save communities an estimated $200,000.
"The whole point was to save cities and towns money. A recount doesn't do that," Brown said.
Anticipating a recount, Brown's campaign has contacted town and city clerks across the district and requested copies of all records associated with the election.
Sherborn Town Clerk Carole Marple said Brown campaign's request included a complete list of voters, records of any repairs to voting machines and the names of all of the police officers who transported voting machines.
"It does seem extreme at this point because there's not even a recount yet," Marple said.
Brown's campaign manager, Rob Cunningham, said the records requests are a necessary precaution.
"We need to be prepared if Angus asks for a recount," he said. "We believe there was no significant irregularities to speak of and a great deal of integrity in the results."
Brown said he wants to be sworn into office by Wednesday, when the Legislature resumes its debate on plans to approve a constitutional ban on gay marriage. But a recount would almost certainly delay his swearing-in for weeks.
"I'm hoping Secretary Galvin will stick to his word and swear me in before the next constitutional convention so I can properly represent the people of the entire Senate district," Brown said.
Either way, Brown will be able to vote in next week's constitutional convention. McQuilken's election, however, could have added a potentially critical pro-gay vote to the Legislature.
Ron Crews, a prominent opponent of gay marriage who serves as head of the Newton-based Massachusetts Family Institute, said the divisive issue appeared to be the "defining factor" in the race, given that McQuilken is an outspoken supporter of gay rights while Brown already has voted to ban same-sex marriage.
"This was a clear difference between the two candidates," said Crews, an Ashland resident. "The marriage issue was one of the major reasons why people crossed over party lines and voted for Scott Brown."
Brown apparently earned more votes than McQuilken in five of the district's 12 communities: Attleboro, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville and Wrentham.
McQuilken carried Franklin, Millis, Natick, Needham, Sherborn, Wayland and Wellesley.
Brown appeared to rely heavily on his hometown base of support, as he received at least 800 more votes than McQuilken in Wrentham. McQuilken, in contrast, only beat Brown by eight votes in his hometown of Millis, possibly reflecting the fact that Brown's House seat includes one precinct in that town.
Brown also fared better in Needham than some anticipated. McQuilken captured nearly 1,000 more votes than Brown in the town, but some observers expected Jacques' longtime chief of staff to win by a wider margin in her old hometown.
"I think (McQuilken) probably expected to do better in Needham, given that he has got some roots here," said Needham businessman Richard Gatto, one of five Democratic primary opponents McQuilken defeated on Feb. 3.
Republican Party leaders claim the election results indicate at least 1,500 Democrats in Needham alone crossed party lines to vote for Brown.
"Democrats did cross over," Brown said. "In Needham alone, there were 4,700 Democratic ballots. I only lost by 1,000 in Needham. We were down 30 points two weeks ago. There was a major crossover there."
McQuilken garnered strong support in the northern end of the district, but Brown compensated by posting wide margins of victory at the southern tip, in communities he has represented in the House.
"Angus didn't stay close enough in the southern towns," said state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick.
The race to fill Jacques' Senate seat was widely viewed as a critical test of Romney's campaign to expand the ranks of Republican lawmakers on Beacon Hill. Accordingly, the Massachusetts Republican Party invested more than $100,000 in Brown's campaign.
Although Jacques' seat was held by a Republican for decades before she was elected in 1992, GOP leaders insist Brown was the underdog heading into Tuesday's election.
"Given the long odds that were overcome by Scott Brown's campaign, it's an indication that the people of Massachusetts want to see reform. They want to see change," Romney said.
But the governor downplayed the notion that Brown's win is a harbinger of widespread success for other Republican challengers this fall.
"I can't tell you that we're going to be able replace sitting incumbents," Romney said. "Maybe we'll pick up one or two or three new seats in each (chamber). Maybe we'll just be able to hold our own, given the fact that John Kerry is going to be the Democratic nominee, as well."
