Scott Brown
Scott Brown (b. September 12, 1959) is the Republican Senator-elect in Massachusetts, the seat long held by Edward Kennedy. Previously he represented the Massachusetts districts of Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex in the State Senate. He is a conservative who stresses his record of fighting wasteful government spending and higher taxes. Brown believes in a culture of family, patriotism and freedom. [1]
A major national upset, Brown has won the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts
Contents
Career
He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps and has served the Massachusetts National Guard since 1979. Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School, Tufts University (1981), and Boston College Law School (1985). Brown is a nominal Protestant; he is married to Gail Brown and they have two children.
State Politics
Brown's political life started as a Selectman for the Town of Wrentham. In 1998, he was elected a Representative to the Massachusetts House where he served until 2004. Brown won a special election for the State Senate in 2004. Senator Brown continues to serve the Massachusetts Senate to the present day. He is a committee member for Veterans' and Federal Affairs, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, Education, Election Laws, Higher Education, Public Safety and Homeland Security. He caucuses for Children, Elder, Veterans',and Mental Health. [2]
U.S. Senate campaign
Democrats had been favored to keep this Senate seat, and were in a state of shock when the Democratic candidate Martha Coakley lost her 30 point lead and fell behind Republican Scott Brown in the final week. Coakley, a party insider, proved to be an ineffective candidate who was unable to reach out to independents.
The race originally was expected to heavily favor Democrats, since there are a million more registered Democrats than Republicans. But independents are the largest bloc and they moved heavily to Brown.
Brown's main theme was that he would be the 41st senator and will block the Obama health care plan--which Massachusetts does not need, he explains, because it has its own plan now in operation. Coakley responded by attacking bankers and bringing in big guns like Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Barack Obama. Their appearance only underscored her base among Democratic party regulars; the independents rejected the old time politics by voting for Brown by 2-1. Brown had the momentum going into the final days of the campaign, and led Coakley by an 8-10 point margin in the final polls.
The defeat for Coakley, which came on the heels of the Democrats' loss of Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections in Nov. 2009, was a major blow to the liberal cause and reinvigorated the Republican party nationally. A victory by Scott Brown showed that every Democrat seat, including Democratic-friendly districts, will not be secure or immune from replacement by their constituents.
Final poll results
see latest polls and crosstabs
- Politico/InAdv (released 1-18): Brown 52, Coakley 43
- PJM/CrossTarget (released 1-18): Brown 52, Coakley 42
- Daily Kos/R2000 (released 1-18):
Brown 48, Coakley 48 - PPP (released 1-18):
Brown 51, Coakley 46 - InsideMedford/MRG (released 1-17): Brown 51, Coakley 41
- ARG Poll (released 1-16):
Brown 48, Coakley 45 - Suffolk/7News (released 1-15):
Brown 50, Coakley 46 - Blue Mass Group/R2000 (released 1-14):
Brown 41 Coakley 49
Endorsements
- State Police Association of Massachusetts [3]
- The Boston Herald
- Curt Schilling
- Mitt Romney
- Citizens for Limited Taxation
- Doug Flutie
- Worcester Telegram (owned by NYTimes)
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
See also
References
- ↑ Scott Brown for U.S. Senate
- ↑ Senator Scott P. Brown (MA)
- ↑ Coakley, Brown joust in heated debate, Boston.com, January 11, 2010
