Scott Brown, Senator Again?
If President Obama nominates Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to be Secretary of State -- and all indications are that he will -- Kerry's senate seat is up for grabs.
The seat goes up for election. Democrats in that state changed the rules when Mitt Romney was governor, in order to prevent him from nominating a Republican to fill the seat in the event of Ted Kennedy's death.
Scott Brown, who lost his race to retain his seat to Little Feather Elizabeth Warren, still has a campaign in place and an organization throughout the state. So, if Scott Brown runs, would he win? A new poll suggests he might. From WBUR:
A WBUR poll of 500 registered voters (PDFs – topline, crosstabs) finds U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is in a strong position should there be a special election to fill U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s seat.
Kerry is believed to be President Obama’s choice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group on Monday and Tuesday, finds voters view Brown favorably, despite the fact that in November they chose to elect Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren in his stead. Fifty-eight percent of those polled say they have a favorable view of Brown, compared with 28 percent who view him unfavorably. Rounded off, 12 percent say they are undecided, and 1 percent say they have never heard of him.
Of course, there's a fly in the ointment:
There’s been speculation that attorney Edward Kennedy Jr, the son of the late senator, is interested in running. He did not return a message left with his office.
Massachusetts being Massachusetts, you never know. But Senator Brown might be Senator Brown again.
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Sep '10
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
So this explains his support for another assault weapon ban, which he didn't support after Aurora, no?
May '10
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
If Kennedy Jr runs, Brown can revisit the "It isn't the Kennedy seat; it's the people's seat" stuff, which pretty much won him the seat the first time around.
Warren was special -- a liberal folk hero, a movement almost. Doubtful Brown will face anyone so formidable this time.
May '10
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Shush! They'll hear you!
Dec '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
I agree with Scott Reusser
Warren had several benefits (mainly a popular record and it being an election year). But this will be a special election, and there aren't many others as well known as Brown (at least from my perspective as a Mass resident, though I admit I do not follow the politics here that closely).
All in all, I put his odds as better than even.
Dec '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Leslie is right. He'll run hard on the weapons ban, and my guess is that might be just what voters in Mass. want to hear.
He might have the makings of another Lincoln Chafee.
Nov '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Scott Reusser:
Warren was special -- a liberal folk hero, a movement almost.
All the more reason why Brown losing was that much more a tragedy.
Jul '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Fred Cole
Scott Reusser:
Warren was special -- a liberal folk hero, a movement almost.
All the more reason why Brown losing was that much more a tragedy. · 31 minutes ago
Liberal folk hero? Try card carrying communist.
May '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
I'm less confident he can win; still, it's nice to have him starting from such a high point.
Jul '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
I thought Ben Affleck was running? I wonder if he'd be as good of a senator as he is an actor.
Nov '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Matt Travis
Fred Cole
Scott Reusser:
Warren was special -- a liberal folk hero, a movement almost.
All the more reason why Brown losing was that much more a tragedy. · 31 minutes ago
Liberal folk hero? Try card carrying communist. · 19 minutes ago
I don't care what cards she carries. I care that her ridiculous poisonous, destructive ideas were carried far and wide by so many people without so little thought about them.
May '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Why, oh why, would those who understand that life is precious and must be protected, and a firearm is an excellent tool to do just that against criminals and aggressors, wish to have this man back in the US Senate? We (I and many of my family and friends) don't want Republican stooges who can't seem to grasp this basic concept that life is precious and must be defended, and that the citizens are the power behind the authorized government. Understand these two things and you become aware that when you remove arms from the citizenry you undermine the citizens' ability to defend life, and the citizens' power to control their government and manage the authority that they have ceded to it.
May '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Because the only alternative is a Democrat who holds not just that position, but similarly bad positions on almost every issue under the sun.
Apr '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Being the Negative Nelly I am (Negative Nelson? What if I'm only half-negative? Does that mean I'm a Negative Half-Nelson?) I'll say it's unlikely Brown will get back in again. It's possible, but I can't say likely.
Brown rode the anti-Obamacare sentiment into Senate (Senatiment?) and as far as I could tell, didn't have a similar advantage in the election.
Jul '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Fred Cole
Matt Travis
Fred Cole
Scott Reusser:
Warren was special -- a liberal folk hero, a movement almost.
All the more reason why Brown losing was that much more a tragedy. · 31 minutes ago
Liberal folk hero? Try card carrying communist. · 19 minutes ago
I don't care what cards she carries. I care that her ridiculous poisonous, destructive ideas were carried far and wide by so many people without so little thought about them. · 2 hours ago
Better, you're getting there.
Sep '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
I'd be shocked if democrats in this state blow another special election. They had the wake up call last time.
Jul '10
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
It's fine for Republicans to argue for something other than a total RINO in states where such a thing is within the realm of possibility (though overreach on that front carried a considerable price in November). But a RINO from Massachusetts should be regarded as a gift from God. Yes, he'll vote with Democrats as often as Republicans, if not more so, but he'll also vote to put every chairmanship in the Senate in the hands of Republicans, most of whom are not RINOs, and to put a Republican in the majority leader's seat.
Politics is the art of the possible. What's possible in Massachusetts is Scott Brown, and then only maybe. What's possible in Maine is Olympia Snowe, and the Republican Party is no better off for having Angus King in her place.
May '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
A Murder of Cows: It's fine for Republicans to argue for something other than a total RINO in states where such a thing is within the realm of possibility (though overreach on that front carried a considerable price in November). But a RINO from Massachusetts should be regarded as a gift from God. Yes, he'll vote with Democrats as often as Republicans, if not more so, but he'll also vote to put every chairmanship in the Senate in the hands of Republicans, most of whom are not RINOs, and to put a Republican in the majority leader's seat.
Politics is the art of the possible. What's possible in Massachusetts is Scott Brown, and then only maybe. What's possible in Maine is Olympia Snowe, and the Republican Party is no better off for having Angus King in her place. · 15 minutes ago
Exactly, and thanks for the donation to keep Ricochet going.
Jul '10
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
You're welcome, Dan. I'm glad I could help. And any libertarian-leaning squish with a Goldwater icon is a friend of mine.
Aug '12
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Yes, a thousand times yes! We get the squishes in the states we can get, so our cream of the crop can run the committees
A Murder of Cows: It's fine for Republicans to argue for something other than a total RINO in states where such a thing is within the realm of possibility (though overreach on that front carried a considerable price in November). But a RINO from Massachusetts should be regarded as a gift from God. Yes, he'll vote with Democrats as often as Republicans, if not more so, but he'll also vote to put every chairmanship in the Senate in the hands of Republicans, most of whom are not RINOs, and to put a Republican in the majority leader's seat.
Politics is the art of the possible. What's possible in Massachusetts is Scott Brown, and then only maybe. What's possible in Maine is Olympia Snowe, and the Republican Party is no better off for having Angus King in her place. · 2 hours ago
Jan '11
Re: Scott Brown, Senator Again?
Rob, you're not quite correct about the election laws - the Mass state legislature is more spinelessly partisan than you give them credit for. They initially changed the law from gubernatorial appointment to special election when it appeared that John Kerry was going to be elected president (and a Republican was governor), but then, after Kennedy's death, they changed it again to allow an appointment to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held - this was so that the 60th vote could be cast for Obamacare.
That being said, Scott Brown is as good as you're going to get in Massachusetts. His initial victory was a tidal wave (and a lot of fun), but since then he's managed to keep his favorability high, despite the hostile local media. Not enough to overcome the 2012 tidal wave, but I think he can do it again, it was close.