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Friday, May 3, 2013

Is Another Upset Brewing in Massachusetts?

The special election to fill the senate seat vacated by John Kerry when he became Secretary of State is moving towards a conclusion.  Earlier this week, primary voters chose congressman Markey as the Democrat and a newcomer Gabriel Gomez as the GOP candidate.  Now, the first polls on the race have been released and they show it shockingly close.  PPP shows Markey leading 44 to 40 over Gomez.  This is a surprise, both because the Massachusetts electorate is heavily Democrat and because Markey is a known quantity in the Bay State.  Markey is one of those perpetual congressmen who have been in office so long that they seem inextricably linked to the position.  Gomez, on the other hand, is a newcomer who has never held public office.  His past work for the government was as a Navy seal.

Can it be that even in Massachusetts, voters do not want more of the same tired old debates in Washington?  Are they ready to try something different?

I really doubt that this is the case.  I expect that the voters will move towards their more usual preferences, particularly once the Democrat attack machine goes into high gear.  After all, Gomez has no past upon which to rely; no one knows him so they will all be prepared to believe the worst.  It will actually be fun to watch the Democrats do their best to destroy the Republican candidate.  Gomez is Hispanic and supports the efforts for the new immigration bill.  That avenue of attack won't work for the Democrats.  Gomez supports gun control legislation, so that attack is likewise out.  Gomez says that abortion rights was settled as the law of the land by Roe v. Wade, so that attack won't succeed.  Oh my!  Maybe the Democrats will not be able to come up with some position by Gomez that they can use against him.

In Massachusetts, Republicans can take all these positions without alienating their base.  Not that it would matter much in the Bay State; the GOP base there is probably five votes or less.

Seriously, it will be quite an upset if Markey loses to Gomez.  The fact that folks are even considering the possibility is amazing too.



 

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