MA Special Election Watch Thread

[RogueBeaver]

Patrick is naming his former aide, Mo Cowan, as the interim senator.

[Keystone Phil]

Really, Deval?

[Tender Branson]

Patrick is naming his former aide, Mo Cowan, as the interim senator.

So, there are 2 black Senators now.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Patrick is naming his former aide, Mo Cowan, as the interim senator.

He probably just sapped any support he might have gotten in a Dem primary. I can't wait for O'Donnell to rip into him tonight.

[RogueBeaver]

Beg pardon?

[Oakvale]

Patrick is naming his former aide, Mo Cowan, as the interim senator.

He probably just sapped any support he might have gotten in a Dem primary. I can't wait for O'Donnell to rip into him tonight.

[Tender Branson]

From PPP's twitter:

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[Benj]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

That would have been nice, but he wanted it too much and too obviously and it was obvious Patrick didn't appreciate that.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

We already have a token openly elected gay Senator (and several closeted Senators before her).

[RogueBeaver]

PPP # out: Brown leads 48/45 against Markey, 48/39 against Lynch- the gap is mostly name ID. Markey leads Lynch 52-19 in a primary.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/01/brownmarkey-would-start-out-as-toss-up.html

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

We already have a token openly elected gay Senator (and several closeted Senators before her).

That's not it. It's because he's f@ckin Barney Fank. Having him in the senate would be like having Kennedy back. Him on the floor calling out McConnell and the GOP on their BS would be great.

[Benj]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

Whatever. Frank's lobbying for the position was pathetic and undignified. I never would have appointed him after his antics.

PPP # out: Brown leads 48/45 against Markey, 48/39 against Lynch- the gap is mostly name ID. Markey leads Lynch 52-19 in a primary.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/01/brownmarkey-would-start-out-as-toss-up.html

Great news. More results like this and maybe Lynch will drop out of the primary.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

We already have a token openly elected gay Senator (and several closeted Senators before her).

That's not it. It's because he's f@ckin Barney Fank. Having him in the senate would be like having Kennedy back. Him on the floor calling out McConnell and the GOP on their BS would be great.

Barney Frank is no Ted Kennedy.

[Obamanation]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

Whatever. Frank's lobbying for the position was pathetic and undignified. I never would have appointed him after his antics.

We aren't in the nineteenth century anymore, people let it be known what positions they want. They actually campaign for them, rather than hope that they fall from the sky...

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

We already have a token openly elected gay Senator (and several closeted Senators before her).

That you would automatically assume tokenism says a lot about you…

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Really, Deval?

Sounds like exactly the sort of person who should be appointed as an interim candidate who isn't going to seek election. Why are people upset?

3 words: Senator. Barney. Frank

We already have a token openly elected gay Senator (and several closeted Senators before her).

That you would automatically assume tokenism says a lot about you…

Do you think there would be more clamoring for support of Franken as the interim Senator if he wasn't gay?

[RogueBeaver]

Regardless of which race Brown chooses, once his opponents improve name ID it'll always be a 2-3 point jumpball either way. Weld '94 aside, all the Pub wins have been 5 or less.

[seanNJ9]

It's astonishing that a liberal state like Massachusetts doesn't have a Democrat who can step in this race who's well known, credible, and popular.

[Antonio the Sixth]

PPP # out: Brown leads 48/45 against Markey, 48/39 against Lynch- the gap is mostly name ID. Markey leads Lynch 52-19 in a primary.

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/01/brownmarkey-would-start-out-as-toss-up.html

Oh look, Brown's massive, insurmountable lead is down to 3 points... By the time the GE campaign kicks in, Markey will be comfortable.

[RogueBeaver]

Who said it was insurmountable? 'Tis a jumpball either way. If Brown loses a second consecutive statewide race then his political career is over a la Wilson/Rehberg, but the odds would be similar in either gubernatorial or Senate races as I said a couple of posts earlier. Odds probably slightly better for guv but he isn't interested.

On a primary note, there's already stuff leaking about Lynch on Twitter.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/is-stephen-lynch-too-conservative-to-win-in-massac

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

PPP has about the numbers I'd expect for Brown-Markey and Brown-Lynch at this point. I agree with RogueBeaver that this'll likely, unless something drastic changes, be a tight race throughout, with the Warren-Brown result (in either direction) being about the upper level of a gap I'd consider plausible.

The primary numbers also look legit. Lynch is going nowhere. He should stick to his district, which he represents reasonably well.

[Badger]

These numbers do NOT bode well for brown. Considering that 3 point lead is essentially name recognition, unless Markey pulls a Coakley, Brown's got nowhere to go but down.

[Maxwell]

It's astonishing that a liberal state like Massachusetts doesn't have a Democrat who can step in this race who's well known, credible, and popular.

Well, for a long time Kerry and Kennedy was all they needed. Now there's neither and it's kind of an empty space. That and its in the middle of Patrick's term, so he can't run, because if Scott Brown made it out against Markey, I don't think he makes it out from a challenge from Patrick.