Regarding the representation of Massachusetts, there are a lot of “ifs” that will soon need to be answered. If John Kerry is accepted to the position of Secretary of State, if Scott Brown will run for the resulting open senate seat, if the Democrats can field another strong Senate candidate and so on. But for now, one if has been answered: Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts’ 7th House district has announced that he will seek the (probably) open position.
Ed Markey is no stranger to Massachusetts politics, having served as Representative since 1976. According to MSNBC, Rep. Markey has sought the Senate seat before in 1984 when he withdrew from the contest that was eventually won by then Lt. Governor, John Kerry. If John Kerry is accepted as Secretary of State, he will have served as Senator of Massachusetts for 28 years.
Sen. Kerry and the Democratic brass seem very excited about a Markey run. According to the Washington Post, Vicki Kennedy, wife to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, said that “I believe that Congressman Ed Markey is the best person to continue in the tradition of John Kerry…. He will be a superb senator for Massachusetts.”
Although other candidates, Democrat and Republican have yet to announce their candidacy, the potential for a heated match between outgoing Sen. Brown and Rep. Markey is already being reflected in new polls, which show that Scott Brown still retains an impressive amount of popularity within the state. However, if Scott Brown decides to run again, he will have to accept that the field of campaigning in Massachusetts has become considerably more intense, and that the Democrats have not fully disassembled the war machine that launched incoming Sen. Elizabeth Warren to office this past November.
Regardless, all of this speculation is still contingent upon Sen. Kerry’s acceptance to the Secretary position. But, if there’s anything the past election cycle has taught us it’s that reality and limitations have no bearing on political gossip.
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