Just a friendly reminder to all the Massachusetts Kossacks that the final U.S. Senate debate between Congressman Ed Makrey (D. MA) and businessman Gabriel Gomez (R. MA) is tonight at 7 PM:
On Tuesday night, WGBH News hosts the final debate of the U.S. Senate special election between Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Markey and Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez.
Watch live-streaming video here tonight beginning at 7 p.m. and follow updates on Twitter with the hashtag #MASEN. After the debate, tune in to 89.7FM for post-debate analysis from 8 to 9 p.m. with Margery Eagan, Jim Braude, Callie Crossley, and WGBH contributor David Bernstein. - WGBH News, 6/17/13
You can watch the live streaming of the debate here:
http://www.wgbhnews.org/...
Markey's campaign released a new radio attack ad just recently that hits Gomez on gun control and abortion rights:
http://www.politico.com/...
The 60-second spot, shared first with POLITICO, hits the Republican candidate for comments he made about guns, abortion and home mortgages deductions during the first two debates.
“Gomez has been complaining about the discussion between the candidates on ending gun violence, but Ed Markey has simply pointed out that Gomez was against a ban on high capacity magazines and Gomez is against a ban on assault weapons,” a male narrator says. “Gomez should be explaining why he sides with Washington, D.C., Republicans and the NRA.”
“Gomez should be explaining why he said he’d consider ending the home mortgage deduction for middle class families,” the narrator adds. “And Gomez should be explaining why he said he’d support a Supreme Court justice who would overturn Roe vs. Wade.”
The ad will air widely in the Boston market ahead of Tuesday’s 7 p.m. debate, sponsored by a consortium of media outlets—including WGBH 2. - Politico, 6/17/13
Desperate to fight back this late in the game, Gomez's Super PAC has launched a new website attacking Markey's record in the House:
http://bostonherald.com/...
A super PAC backing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez is launching a new website today slamming U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey as a long time Washington insider as the two men prepare to face off in their final debate.
The website, called 37years.com, was created by the Americans for Progressive Action PAC, a super PAC with unknown backers whose members have ties to conservatives but claims to back independent, nonpartisan candidates.
“During his 37 years in Washington, Congressman Ed Markey has become part of the problem and has lost touch with the people of Massachusetts,” said APA spokeswoman Sheena Tahilramani, a former chief of staff to conservative kingmaker Karl Rove.
The new website will be launched before Gomez and Markey go toe-to-toe tonight at 7 p.m. in a debate sponsored by WGBH and The Boston Globe. - Boston Herald, 6/18/13
And Scott Brown (R. MA) hasn't really been doing much for Gomez's campaign:
http://www.politico.com/...
Brown has been glaringly absent from the stump as the former Navy SEAL-turned-investor tries to pull a stunner against Democratic Rep. Ed Markey next week.
It’s not that Brown is doing nothing: The former senator — who lost to Elizabeth Warren last year but appears nowhere near ready to call it a day in politics — is expected to record a robocall for Gomez this week. Brown solicited Gomez’s email list last Friday for donations, and he appeared at two fundraising events to boost Gomez’s long-shot effort last month.
But with only a week until Election Day, it’s fair to say Brown has done minimal duty as a surrogate. Gomez instead has surrounded himself with nonelected figures to vouch for him — such as former Boston Bruins head coach Mike Milbury on Monday.
Whether their feeble embrace is Gomez’s choice or Brown’s is not entirely clear. Though a Gomez victory would limit Brown’s options to run again in Massachusetts, there’s no detectable rivalry between the two. It may just be an instance of a first-time candidate wanting to show he can prevail on his own.
Whatever the reason, some Bay State Republicans believe that not fully deploying the most popular GOP pol in the state is a mistake.
“I’d probably make better use of him than they have,” said former state Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, who lost a U.S. House bid last year. “If I was in the Gomez campaign right now, I’d probably find a way to get Scott engaged and more upfront.” - Politico, 6/18/13
Brown certainly has future political aspirations so I can understand why he wouldn't want to be associated with a losing campaign. Especially since news broke out about Gomez's less than stellar business record:
http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/...
So it was in that spirit that I recently wrote about Synventive, which is the only deal Gomez is credited with leading during his time at Advent International. Sources say that most of his time with Advent was spent doing business development work, but he did sit on the boards of four other companies: American Radiology Services, Americus Dental Labs, Keystone Automotive Operations and Kirkland's.
The first three were privately-held while Gomez sat on the boards, so it's difficult to glean anything about performance during his tenure. But Kirkland's (KIRK), a Nashville-based specialty retailer of home decor and gifts, already was public when he was elected to its board in June 2006 (Advent had originally invested ten years earlier, and eight years before Gomez joined the firm).
Gomez's time on the Kirkland's board doesn't perfectly match up to the company's public reporting schedule, so here's the best we can do:
Kirkland's operated 342 stores when Gomez joined the board, and was down to 321 stores just before he stepped down in December 2008 (his resignation came shortly after Advent sold its remaining shares).
It reported 4,878 employees as of March 2006 (four months before he joined), and that it had shed 1,432 of them by March 2009 (three months after he left).
Kirkland's revenue for the fiscal year ending January 28, 2006 was $415 million and grew 7.6% to $446.8 million in the next fiscal year (for which Gomez joined in the middle). Revenue then fell 11.2% for fiscal 2007 and 1.4% to $391.3 million for fiscal 2008 (ending 1/31/09). For greater context, Advent says that Kirkland's only generated $112 million in annual revenue prior to its original 1996 investment.
Net income remained relatively flat (and nonexistent) for between fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2006, before the company reported a $25.89 million net loss in fiscal 2007 and recovered with $9.3 million in profits for fiscal 2008.
Kirkland's stock was trading at $5.76 per share on the day he was elected to the board, and opened trading at $2.56 per share on the day he resigned.
I asked Gomez spokesman Will Ritter about the candidate's time at Kirkland's, and he replied that "Gabriel Gomez is happy to compare private sector resumes with Congressman Ed Markey and is proud of his work in Boston for Advent International."
The snark there, of course, is that Markey doesn't have a private sector record. But that's as deep as Gomez is willing to go. - Fortune, 6/18/13
Markey however has utilized big name Democrats' endorsements and visits to rile up the base:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Democratic President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and former vice president Al Gore have all campaigned or fundraised for Markey. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent nearly $700,000 on anti-Gomez ads, complementing spending from other Democratic-leaning groups. Some national Republicans are helping Gomez, but not to the same extent.
While Markey has held a solid lead throughout the campaign, political strategists say the hubbub of activity, particularly on the Democratic side, reflects the changing dynamic of the race, in which national scandals surrounding the Obama administration threaten to trickle down to Massachusetts. It also indicates Democrats’ refusal to take any race for granted, after Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory in the 2010 U.S. Senate special election.
“Because we are in an off-year, off-cycle, off-month election that we’ve never had before, you can’t leave anything to chance,” said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, who works for the Dewey Square Group and is not involved in the Senate race. “This is Markey’s race to lose, and no one’s going to let that happen.”
Two polls released last week - by WBUR and Suffolk University - pegged Markey’s lead at 7 points, with around 10 percent of voters undecided. While Markey has led consistently throughout the race, his lead has narrowed. Three independent polls from late May or early June had Markey 11 to 12 points ahead of Gomez. - The Republican, 6/17/13
The Special Election is Tuesday, June 25th. Be sure to check out the final debate tonight and if you want to get involved with Markey's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.edmarkey.com/