Democrats Markey, Lynch Resume Campaigns #MAsen

Markey has led in all polls of the Massachusetts Senate special election so far. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Reps. Edward J. Markey and Stephen F. Lynch resumed their Senate special-election campaigns on Monday. It’s been one week since the two Bay State Democrats suspended political activities after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Though we are still saddened by last week's events, we must move forward.Today we will be respectfully restarting the campaign. #masen

— Stephen F. Lynch (@lynchforsenate) April 22, 2013

Markey’s spokesman confirmed via email that he will start campaigning again, although neither candidate is running television ads yet:

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Massachusetts: Clark Hauls In $260,000 for 5th District Race

Democratic state Sen. Katherine Clark raised $261,000 in her first quarter as a candidate for the 5th District, according to an email she planned to send supporters Thursday.

Clark is part of an evolving field ready to run for the heavily Democratic 5th District if its current occupant, Democratic Rep. Edward J. Markey, wins the upcoming special election for Senate.

Public polls show Markey leads his Democratic and Republican opponents in the race to succeed now-Secretary of State John Kerry in the Senate. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch is also running for the Democratic nomination.

(See also on Roll Call: “Markey Leads in Another Special Election Poll”) Full story

Massachusetts: Assessing the Would-Be Candidates for a Senate Special Election

Markey is among those interested in moving to the Senate if there is a vacancy to be filled. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Updated 7:35 p.m. Dec. 15 | Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is set to be nominated as the next secretary of State, according to news reports Saturday evening.

It became clear in the wake of Susan Rice’s withdrawal from consideration on Thursday that Kerry was the leading contender for the position, touching off a theoretical chess game of speculation about who will fill his Senate seat.

If Kerry resigns to move to the State Department, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) will appoint a short-term successor to serve until a special election can take place. More on the politics of that after the jump, but first, here are the names being mentioned for a special election.

DEMOCRATS:

One plugged-in state Democratic operative laid out the different categories for possible Democratic candidates.

Group One — Current House Delegation 

A 2013 special election would essentially be a free run for any House member because he or she wouldn’t have to give up his or her current seat. Here are the names being floated around Boston on Friday morning. Also, if it is a Member of Congress who succeeds Kerry either by appointment or election, the same succession laws apply to that House seat as a Senate vacancy.

• Rep. Edward J. Markey: “I heard that Markey is trying to clear the field. Good luck,” the operative said.
• Rep. Michael E. Capuano: He ended up being the only member to run in the Senate special election that resulted from the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. He finished second in the primary and is viewed as almost certain to run again if there is a vacancy.
• Rep. Stephen F. Lynch: He eyed running in the 2010 special election but opted against it.
  

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Massachusetts: Another Bay State Special?

Brown may get another chance to run for Senate if Obama appoints Kerry to his cabinet. (Tom Willaims/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has long been floated as a potential pick for President Barack Obama’s second secretary of State. The Washington Post recently floated him as in the running for secretary of Defense as well.

Obama would, of course, risk losing one of Massachusetts’ Democratic-held Senate seats in a special election if Kerry joined his cabinet. Nonetheless, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday that he would support the nomination of Kerry to a cabinet post and that he was not too concerned about the risk of another special election in Massachusetts.

“I’ll do everything I can to help him if he’s chosen, and we feel very comfortable if in fact something does happen — we feel comfortable in Massachusetts. I think that I’ve already told you how I feel about Scott Brown,” Reid said, in reference to comments made earlier in the news conference about the outgoing GOP senator from Massachusetts.

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Massachusetts: Brown-Warren Senate Race Statistically Tied

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and his Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren, are in a statistical tie among likely voters, with a huge swath of the electorate still undecided in this marquee Senate battle, according to a new poll.

A Boston Globe survey found that, in a horserace matchup, 37 percent would vote for Brown, 35 percent would vote for Warren and 26 percent were undecided.

Brown held a substantial lead among self-described independents, with 42 percent telling a pollster they would vote to re-elect him and only 14 percent saying they would cast their ballot for Warren.

Brown remains very well-liked in the Bay State. Fifty-four percent of likely voters held a favorable opinion of him while just 29 percent had an unfavorable opinion. Seven percent didn’t know.

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Massachusetts: Scott Brown Up Eight Points in Latest Poll

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) led Elizabeth Warren (D) by 8 points in a new poll released today.

A survey by the Western New England University Polling Institute found 49 percent of registered Massachusetts voters would cast their ballot for Brown if the election were held today, while 41 percent would vote for Warren, a Harvard professor and the presumptive Democratic nominee. Ten percent were undecided.

The poll, taken Feb. 23 through Thursday, matches two other February polls that showed Brown leading Warren in a horse-race matchup. Full story

Massachusetts: Poll Has Senate Race Essentially Tied

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

A new poll found Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) and presumptive Democratic nominee Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren essentially tied in the tossup Senate race.

Warren led Brown by 3 points in a horse-race matchup, 46 percent to 43 percent — within the margin of error. Eleven percent of those polled didn’t know for whom they would vote. Full story

Massachusetts: Joseph Kennedy III Has Big Lead in New Poll

In Massachusetts, the Kennedy name is still gold.

Attorney Joseph Kennedy III, the son of ex-Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and the likely Democratic nominee in the Bay State’s 4th district, had a huge lead over his probable Republican challenger, businessman Sean Bielat, according to a new poll. Sixty percent of registered voters surveyed would vote for Kennedy, while just 28 percent would vote for Bielat. Seven percent said they didn’t know. Full story