Replacing Ted Kennedy in the Senate (Part 5): The GOP hopefuls

With nobody from the GOP representing Massachusetts in Congress or holding statewide office, any Republican faces an incredibly uphill climb to win the Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy.

Some of their best options on paper won’t be on the ballot. The state’s best-known Republican — Mitt Romney — quickly stepped aside from consideration. A review of election laws by the Associated Press found that former Red Sox great Curt Schilling, who has interest in the seat, cannot run in the GOP primary because he is registered as an independent. And beyond them, most of the GOP’s top dogs are eying the governor’s office, where incumbent Democrat Deval Patrick seems very vulnerable.

But special elections have different dynamics than regular elections. Far fewer voters turn out, so a motivated base could be enough. A self-funded candidate might be able to get on the air immediately and make a huge splash in a short amount of time. And the short campaign means there’s little time to recover from missteps.

So here’s a short list of people considering a bid to be the first Republican elected to the Senate from Massachusetts since 1972.

Kerry Healey: The lieutenant governor under Romney, Healey was crushed by Patrick in the 2006 gubernatorial race. In fact, she hasn’t had much electoral success (two failed races for the state House), but she’s an aggressive campaigner with a high profile and the deep pockets for a self-funded race.

Andrew Card: No stranger to Washington, Card has served in the last three Republican presidential administrations, most recently as chief of staff to George W. Bush. He’s run for office before, and he’s well regarded by Democrats in Washington, but may have a hard time getting voters past his time with Bush.

Scott Brown: One of the few Republicans holding elected office in Massachusetts, Brown was first elected to the state House in 1998, and has held a state Senate seat since 2004. He’s served on several key committees, which has helped raise his profile, but he is also considering the governor’s race.

Michael Sullivan. Previously a U.S. attorney, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and state legislator, Sullivan’s profile was raised by his aggressive prosecution of airport workers who had lied about their nationality. But after years of public service, but not in elected office, he could have a tough time funding a strong challenge.

Chris Egan: A former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development, and the president of real estate company Carruth Capital, Egan is a bit of a political unknown. But he has the money to fund his own campaign, and could see the race — even if he loses — as a chance to establish a reputation that could launch him to another office later.

Jeff Beatty: A Cape Cod businessman who founded a homeland security company, Beatty ran against (and lost handily to) John Kerry in the 2008 Senate race and Bill Delahunt in a 2006 Congressional race. However, like Egan, he could fund his own campaign.