Congressman Ed Markey (D. MA-5), who is running for Secretary of State John Kerry's Senate seat received another big endorsement today:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Edward Markey on Friday, throwing the weight of his Democratic vote-getting machine behind the Malden congressman.
There was little surprise that Menino, a Democrat, endorsed Markey. But the endorsement from the popular mayor could boost Markey’s campaign. Menino is Boston’s longest serving mayor, with 20 years in office, and has built up a powerful campaign apparatus of committed grassroots activists.
Menino endorsed Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and helped propel her to victory. On Friday, he committed to doing the same for Markey.
“I don’t sit on the sidelines when I make an endorsement. I make sure my field team is out there, making sure the vote gets out there on Election Day,” Menino said.
Markey is facing Republican private equity investor Gabriel Gomez in a June 25 special election.
Menino praised Markey for his support for gun control, and for getting federal funding for Boston, whether for green technology, homeland security or medical research through the National Institutes of Health. - The Republican, 5/24/13
With Markey raising money and support like crazy and ahead in the polls, Gabriel Gomez (R. MA) is desperately resorting to more stupid attacks:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
There has been no shortage of hostility in Massachusetts as Republican Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez looks to defeat Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in next month's special election. Tensions continued to flare on Thursday, when Gomez responded to an attack ad from Markey, calling him "pond scum" for running a spot that included images of slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The Markey spot in question, a web video, displayed an image of bin Laden in noting Gomez's involvement in a group that attempted to prevent President Barack Obama from benefiting politically from the successful mission to kill the terrorist leader. A television ad, meanwhile, hit Gomez on gun control, saying that he is “against banning high-capacity magazines like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.”
In response, the Gomez campaign released an ad this week blasting "dirty Ed Markey" and his attacks. The spot suggested that Markey had directly blamed Gomez for the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and compared him to bin Laden, but FactCheck.org has debunked those claims as overblown. - Huffington Post, 5/24/13
With Menino's endorsement, Markey can count on Menino to help get voters out to the polls on Tuesday, June 25th. Plus billionaire environmentalist, Tom Steyer, is working to make sure Markey becomes the next Senator from Massachusetts:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
A group funded by a California billionaire protesting the Keystone XL pipeline is returning to Massachusetts to support Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Edward Markey in the general election.
NextGen Committee, which was created by hedge fund founder and environmental activist Tom Steyer, spent around $290,000 opposing Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary, according to data compiled by the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation. The group focused on the controversial proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast, which Lynch supported and Markey opposed.
Now, the group plans to get involved in Markey’s general election fight against Republican private equity investor Gabriel Gomez, according to a memo from group spokesman Chris Lehane. In the memo, Lehane mentioned several of Markey’s key election platforms, not only his environmental record. He noted that Markey supports abortion rights, gun control and protecting Social Security benefits.
“From what little there is to know about Gomez, we’ve realized that he is simply a lightweight version of Mitt Romney… but without the experience,” Lehane wrote. “Gomez is Romney Lite.” The former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee lost Massachusetts to Democratic President Barack Obama by a 23-point margin.
Regarding the Keystone pipeline, Lehane wrote, “As if speaking from the Romney talking points, Gomez supports the agenda of big oil companies. That includes foreign oil companies such as is the case of his support for the Keystone XL pipeline, even when it is not in the health or economic interests of our kids.”
Gomez has said he supports the Keystone XL pipeline because it will help the U.S. become less dependent on foreign oil. Gomez defended his position on Thursday. “President Obama's own State Department announced that the Keystone Pipeline will have no impact on global carbon emissions, and I believe we should finish building it,” Gomez said in a statement. “The pipeline means we can lower our dependency on foreign oil and create tens of thousands of jobs in a way that doesn't negatively impact the environment.”
Lehane wrote that NextGen will seek to be a “politically disruptive force” in the general election. It will run a field campaign to target Boston federal election voters; will create online and digital advertising; will target faith voters; and will engage in “guerrilla marketing,” which generally means using political stunts and low-cost, unconventional means to engage voters.
Steyer donated $750,000 to the NextGen Committee and, as of April 10, was its only donor, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Local environmental activists organized and participated in NextGen events. - The Republican, 5/23/13
Gomez's campaign is struggling so bad that the NRSC had to send some of their people to help them out. With one month until election day, anything could happen. If you would like to get involved with the Markey campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.edmarkey.com/