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Massachusetts was home of the Kennedy family, with President [[John Kennedy]], Attorney general and later New York Senator [[Robert Kennedy]], and Massachusetts Senator [[Ted Kennedy]], who was the third longest-serving Senator in U.S. history.  During the [[2004 Presidential Election]] the Democratic super-majority in the state legislature blocked the Republican Governor [[Mitt Romney]] from appointing an interim senator should [[John Kerry]] be elected President. The legislature changed the law back again after Ted Kennedy's death, allowing Governor [[Deval Patrick]], a Democrat, to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy. He chose former Democratic National Committee chairman [[Paul Kirk]]. Kirk did not seek a full term of his own, and a special election was held on January 19, 2010.  

Massachusetts was home of the Kennedy family, with President [[John Kennedy]], Attorney general and later New York Senator [[Robert Kennedy]], and Massachusetts Senator [[Ted Kennedy]], who was the third longest-serving Senator in U.S. history.  During the [[2004 Presidential Election]] the Democratic super-majority in the state legislature blocked the Republican Governor [[Mitt Romney]] from appointing an interim senator should [[John Kerry]] be elected President. The legislature changed the law back again after Ted Kennedy's death, allowing Governor [[Deval Patrick]], a Democrat, to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy. He chose former Democratic National Committee chairman [[Paul Kirk]]. Kirk did not seek a full term of his own, and a special election was held on January 19, 2010.  

Republican State Senator [[Scott Brown]] pulled a major upset, defeating Democratic Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] in the election. Brown rode on a wave of voter anger at President Obama and his [[health care]] overhaul and won by a 52%-47% margin.<ref>See [http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html?hp statistical analysis of 2010 vote]</ref>

Republican State Senator [[Scott Brown]] pulled a major upset, defeating Democratic Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] in the election. Brown rode on a wave of voter anger at President Obama and his [[health care]] overhaul and won by a 52%-47% margin.<ref>See [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html?hp statistical analysis of 2010 vote]</ref>

Although once a bastion of social conservatism (the term "Banned in Boston" is still in widespread use)<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref> Massachusetts is known as one of the most Catholic and most liberal states. It is the most populous state to have all-Democratic congressional representation.  In the 1980s Republicans called it "Taxachusetts" because of its high tax rate, which has since been lowered by a series of Republican governors in the 1990s and 2000s ([[William Weld]], [[Paul Cellucci]], [[Jane Swift]] and [[Mitt Romney]]); they were among the most liberal Republican governors in the country.<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref>

Although once a bastion of social conservatism (the term "Banned in Boston" is still in widespread use)<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref> Massachusetts is known as one of the most Catholic and most liberal states. It is the most populous state to have all-Democratic congressional representation.  In the 1980s Republicans called it "Taxachusetts" because of its high tax rate, which has since been lowered by a series of Republican governors in the 1990s and 2000s ([[William Weld]], [[Paul Cellucci]], [[Jane Swift]] and [[Mitt Romney]]); they were among the most liberal Republican governors in the country.<ref>http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Massachusetts/id/1896007</ref>