United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2013

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Massachusetts held a special election for the U.S. Senate in 2013. The general election took place on June 25, 2013, following a primary election on April 30, 2013.

The special election was held to fill the vacancy left by the appointment of Senator John Kerry (D) as U.S. Secretary of State.

On January 30, 2013, Mo Cowan was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to fill the vacancy. Cowan, a Democrat who previously served as Patrick's Chief of Staff, served as interim Senator until voters chose Kerry's official successor in the June 25 special election.

On December 21, 2012, President Barack Obama announced that he was nominated Kerry to the position of Secretary of State. On January 29, 2013, the Senate confirmed Kerry's appointment by a vote of 94-3. He officially succeeded Secretary Hillary Clinton on Friday, February 1, 2013.

Massachusetts has a mostly closed primary system, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members. In Massachusetts, however, independent voters may select which party's primary to vote in.

In the week following the bombing at the Boston Marathon, all campaigning halted. It resumed on Monday, April 22, 2013.

The Democratic nominee, Ed Markey, was expected to be a heavy favorite in the general election.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
February 27, 2013	April 30, 2013	June 25, 2013

Candidates

General election

Ed Markeya

Gabriel Gomez

Richard Heos (Twelve Visions Party)

Democratic Primary

• Ed Markey, current U.S. Congressman, Massachusetts, District 5a
• Stephen Lynch, current U.S. Congressman, Massachusetts, District 8

Republican Primary

• Daniel Winslow, state representative
• Gabriel Gomez, former navy SEAL and local busiinessmana
• Michael Sullivan, former U.S. Attorney

Election results

General election

U.S. Senate, Massachusetts Special General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ed Markey	54.9%	645,429
	Republican	Gabriel Gomez	44.7%	525,307
	Twelve Visions Party	Richard Heos	0.4%	4,550
Total Votes				1,175,286
Source: Election Results from Massachusetts Elections Division

Primary Elections

Democratic Primary

U.S. Senate, Massachusetts Special Democratic Primary, 2013
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ed Markey	57.5%	311,219
Stephen Lynch	42.5%	230,335
Total Votes		541,554
Source: Election Results from Massachusetts Elections Division

Republican Primary

U.S. Senate, Massachusetts Special Republican Primary, 2013
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Gabriel Gomez	50.9%	96,057
Mike Sullivan	36%	67,946
Daniel Winslow	13.1%	24,662
Total Votes		188,665
Source: Election Results from Massachusetts Elections Division

Race background

Race background

Senator John Kerry served the state of Massachusetts since he was first elected in 1984. In December 2012, Kerry was nominated by President Barack Obama to succeed Hillary Clinton as the nation's secretary of state and his appointment was confirmed by the Senate the following January. To become secretary of state, Kerry has to vacate his Senate seat almost two years before his current term's expiration. According to Massachusetts law, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) had to appoint an interim Senator to fill the vacancy until a successor could be selected by voters in a special election. On January 30, 2013, Patrick selected former Chief of Staff Mo Cowan (D) to serve in Kerry's place until the special election, which was held on June 25.

On February 1, 2013, former U.S. Senator Scott Brown announced that he was not going to seek Kerry's vacant seat.

According to a story in the Boston Herald, the race for the open U.S. Senate in Massachusetts was estimated to cost the state at least $13.5 million. Of that, $5.2 million was incurred by the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office and the other estimated $8.3 million includes the costs incurred by the Massachusetts cities and towns.

Going into the primary election, public polling showed Markey as the front-runner, but strategists from both camps acknowledge the "politically destabilizing impact" of the Boston terror attacks that killed three people and injured 264.

The race was included on a Washington Post list of the Top 5 races of 2013.

Campaign donors

Campaign donors

General election

Headed into the general election, Ed Markey (D) had a significant campaign funding edge. As of the reporting period prior to the April 30 primary, Markey raised nearly $4.8 million in individual contributions compared with Gabriel Gomez (R), who reported raising about $582,000 from supporters.

Gomez opened a joint fundraising committee with the National Republican Senatorial Committee in an effort to narrow the fundraising gap with Rep. Ed Markey. The Gabriel Gomez Victory Fund 2013 was created on May 7. "We will do what we can in the short six weeks left to compete with the national Democratic machine. We certainly know that we won’t raise or spend as much as Congressman Markey," said Gomez campaign spokesman Will Ritter.

The decision to create the joint fundraising committee came after Markey created his own joint fundraising committee with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

According to the FEC, joint fundraising committees are allowed to collect contributions, pay fundraising expenses and distribute net proceeds to two or more committees.

In the final pre-election fundraising report, Markey maintained his lead over Gomez, outspending him by nearly $4 million.

Markey raised $1 million more than Gomez from April 11 to June 5 and spent $5.5 million, according to Federal Election Commission pre-general election reports. Gomez, who had about $500,000 at the start of the reporting period, spent $1.6 million over the past two months.

Democratic candidates

U.S. Rep. Edward Markey raised about $4.8 million prior to the primary election. Markey's Democratic rival, fellow U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch reported raising approximately $1.5 million from late January through the primary election, adding to the $745,000 left over from his last House race.

After beginning with more than $3 million in his congressional campaign account at the start of the campaign, Markey had a total of $7.8 million on hand in early April. After spending about $3.2 million, his account was left with about $4.6 million as of April 10, 2013. According to reports, more than 53 percent of the money raised by Markey came from outside of the state, with only approximately 47 percent coming from Massachusetts donors. According to Markey's campaign, approximately 83 percent of the more than 18,000 individuals who contributed to his campaign gave $100 or less.

Lynch reported spending more than $1.7 million through April 10 and had more than $514,000 left in his account for the final stretch. According to his campaign, about 93 percent of the approximately 3,300 individual donors live in Massachusetts and approximately 45 percent of those who donated to his campaign gave $100 or less.

Republican candidates

Of the three Republicans that ran for the nomination — former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, state Rep. Daniel Winslow and businessman Gabriel Gomez — Gomez reported raising the most, nearly $1.2 million, although that included $600,000 he loaned his campaign. He reported having $499,743 left in his account as of April 10, 2013. Sullivan reported raising $174,498, with $96,369 cash on hand. Winslow reported raising $394,549, with $158,550 in personal donations. He had $142,243 cash on hand.

Polls

Polls

General election

General candidates: Markey v. Gomez
Poll	Ed Markey	Gabriel Gomez	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
WBUR June 6-9, 2013	46%	39%	15%	+/-4.4	500
Suffolk University June 6-9, 2013	48%	41%	10%	+/-4.4	500
Public Policy Polling June 3-4, 2013	47%	39%	14%	+/-4.1	560
New England College June 1-2, 2013	52%	40%	8%	+/-3.62	734
Yougov America May 30-June 4, 2013	42%	32%	26%	+/-5.4	500
Public Policy Polling May 13-15, 2013	48%	41%	11%	+/-3.3	880
OnMessage May 5-7, 2013	46%	43%	11%	+/-3.4	800
WBUR May5-6, 2013	46%	38%	16%	+/-4.4	497
Suffolk University/News 7 May 4-7, 2013	54%	35%	11%	+/-4.4	500
Public Policy Polling May 3, 2013	44%	40%	16%	+/-2.5	1,539
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

General candidates: Markey v. Gomez
Poll	Ed Markey	Gabriel Gomez	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Suffolk University June 19-22	52%	42%	4%	+/-4.4	500
Western New England University June 16-20, 2013	49%	41%	9%	+/-3.7	717
New England College June 18-20, 2013	56%	36%	8%	+/-4.07	579
Emerson College June 19-20, 2013	51%	41%	8%	+/-2.5	1,422
UMass Lowell-Boston Herald (dead link) June 15-19, 2013	56%	36%	7%	+/-4	600
McLaughlin & Associates June 17-19, 2013	47%	44%	9%	+/-3	1,100
OnMessage June 16-17, 2013	47%	40%	12%	+/-4	600
Boston Globe June 11-14, 2013	54%	41%	5%	+/-3.6	755
Harper Polling June 10-11, 2013	49%	37%	14%	+/-4.39	498
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

The OnMessage poll from May 5-7, 2013 was commissioned jointly by the Gomez campaign and National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary candidates: Markey v. Lynch
Poll	Ed Markey	Stephen Lynch	Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Released by Stephen Lynch campaign April 24, 2013	44.5%	38.9%	16.5%	+/-2.7	1,374
Western New England Univ April 11-18, 2013	38%	15%	37%	+/-4.5	480
Public Policy Polling March 26-27,2013	49%	32%	9%	+/-4.4	496
Mass Inc./WBUR March 19-21,2013	35%	24%	41%	+/-4.1	610
UMass Lowell/Boston Herald March 2-March 5, 2013	50%	20.5%	30%	+/-4	600
MassINC Polling Group February 11-13	38%	31%	26%	+/-4.4	498
Public Policy Polling January 29-30	52%	19%	29%	+/-4.9	404
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

The UMASS Lowell/Boston Herald poll also indicated that, if the June 25 general election were held on that date, March 6th, Ed Markey would defeat state Representative Daniel Winslow by 23 percentage points, former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez by 19.5 percentage points, and former US attorney Michael Sullivan by 17 points.

Media

Media

General election

Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez released his first ad of the general election on May 17th, "Idea"

Democratic nominee Ed Markey released an ad on May 8th, "Innovation"

On May 8, 2013, Markey released a television ad, "Innovation," that focused on technological advances in the state. Markey’s TV ad buy was the first since he won the Democratic nomination and was designed to improve his image after the tough primary battle against U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch.

A Gomez spokesman said the Democratic nominee’s ad buy showed his campaign was worried and ready to unload “mudslinging” ads as the general election race got under way. Gomez spokesman Lenny Alcivar said, “I would not be surprised given his anemic poll numbers and his refusal to talk about what matters to voters.” A Markey spokesman refused to get into details about the new ads.

The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, joined Gomez in calling for Markey to pull what he called “offensive” web ads with Gomez’s face placed next to Osama bin Laden’s.

Markey had been on the attack since winning the primary and slammed Gomez for supporting a group that criticized President Obama for trying to 
politicize bin Laden’s death and for Gomez's refusal to sign a “people’s pledge” to keep out-of-state super PACs from getting involved in the race.

Democrat Ed Markey's first negative ad, "Clear Differences"

On May 16th Markey released his first negative ad of the campaign, criticizing his Republican opponent on gun control.

Gomez's campaign adviser Lenny Alcivar slammed the new spot and responded by saying "Congressman Ed Markey is desperate and worried about losing this election to outsider Gabriel Gomez. In the middle of the worst Washington scandals in a generation, lifelong politician Ed Markey just launched a desperate, negative attack ad slinging mud.”

After his primary win, Gomez targeted independents and moderate Democrats in a bid to stage the kind of upset that Brown pulled off in 2010. As of early May 2013, he had poured nearly $1 million of his own money into the race.

Gomez released his first general election ad on May 17, 2013. The ad emphasized his military and immigrant background. The ad did not mention Gomez's opponent, Ed Markey].

The Gomez campaign ran the ad statewide, but did not reveal how much they spent to air the spots. Contracts with local affiliates filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FEC) indicated that the buy was at least $200,000.

Beginning on May 29, 2013, Gomez released a new television ad, "Something New," that criticized Markey for running negative advertising against him, including juxtaposing Gomez’s face with Osama bin Laden’s. The ad shows the offending clips from the Markey ads. It then switches to flattering videos of Gomez campaigning. The ad stresses Gomez’s biography as a businessman and a former Navy SEAL and touts his plan to reform Congress. “Let’s try something new,” it said.

Democrat Ed Markey released an ad addressing tax policies on May 28, 2013, "Tax Fairness"

Gabriel Gomez released an ad addressing negative campaigning on May 29, 2013, "Something New"

In response to a battle over tax policy, Markey announced the release of a television ad that played up his advocacy for higher taxes on corporations and millionaires. The 30-second spot, “Tax Fairness,” hit Gomez on tax policy -- the same issue that the Republican nominee’s campaign said it planned to focus on, argued that Markey’s consistent support for higher taxes was out of step with voters.

In the ad, a narrator pointed to Markey’s support for “closing corporate tax loopholes and passing the Warren Buffett rule, making millionaires pay the same tax rate as the middle class.” The so-called Buffett rule restricted the access that affluent taxpayers have to loopholes and tax rates that allow them to pay lower effective tax rates than middle-class ones.

In response, Gomez spokesman Will Ritter wrote in an email, “Gabriel Gomez supports comprehensive tax reform for everyone, closing tax loopholes and lowering the tax rate so Massachusetts companies can hire again and bring back jobs. Ed Markey has voted in favor of raising taxes 271 times. Now he wants to distract from that record with tired political theatre and negative ads.”

The first week of June 2013, less than a month before the general election, Gomez and the Massachusetts GOP purchased $411,000 worth of air time in Boston and Springfield. The ad started running on June 5, 2013. This was the second TV buy involving the Massachusetts GOP, which brought its spending total to roughly $800,000. The state party reported having just over $360,000 cash on hand at the beginning of June.

Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez's final ad of the campaign, "17 months."

Senate Majority PAC's ad opposing Gomez on his position on Social Security and his support for raising the retirement age, "Trust."

The Senate Majority PAC announced on June 12, 2013, the extension of its ad buy in the Massachusetts Senate race to run through the end of the election. The PAC spent at least $500,000 more on the buy, and continued to air the ad it launched which criticized Gabriel Gomez (R) on his position on Social Security and his support for raising the retirement age. The ad buy brought the total the Senate Majority PAC spent on the race to an estimated $1 million.

On June 21, 2013, just days before the June 25th general special election, Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez’s campaign put an additional $300,000 behind a television ad, as the result of a fund-raising surge in the campaign’s closing days. Gomez adviser Lenny Alcivar said the infusion brought in cash the campaign did not expect to have, and he pointed to Gomez’s performance in the final debate as a motivation for donors. The money was used to amplify the “17 Months” ad, which showed a debate clip that the campaign has decided to make its closing argument.

Democratic primary

Democrat Stephen Lynch's ad post-bombing at the Boston Marathon, "Message from Stephen Lynch"

Democrat Ed Markey's 3rd television advertisement "77 Cents"

On April 4, 2013, Democrat Ed Markey released his third television ad, "77 Cents." After taking a week hiatus from campaigning after the bombings at the Boston Marathon, the candidates resumed their television ads on Tuesday April 23, 2013.

Lynch launched a new TV ad focused exclusively on the tragedy and avoiding any mention of the campaign except for the required language approving the ad’s message, stating in the ad, "My heart goes out to those affected by this unthinkable terrorist attack. I want to thank those whose actions saved lives and the police whose heroic efforts brought it all to an end. In the face of this tragedy, our city and state offered a stunning example of the strength of the human spirit. We hold in our hearts those we lost but we will get through this together and work toward a brighter day.”

Markey, who also resumed TV advertising on April 23, returned to circulation an existing ad, "77 cents" focused on women’s issues, said he co-sponsored an equal pay for equal work measure, helped force insurance companies to cover mammograms and has a strong record of supporting abortion rights.

Endorsements

Endorsements

General election

On May 1, 2013, just a day following the Democratic primary, Massachusetts Democrats held a unity rally for nominee Ed Markey that included primary challenger Rep. Stephen Lynch, who pledged his support for Markey.

On May 28, 2013, President Obama endorsed Democratic nominee Ed Markey for the seat. On June 5, 2013 the League of Conservation Voters announced it was spending nearly $400,000 on a mailing campaigning targeting Gabriel Gomez over his support of the proposed Keystone XL Oil Pipeline. The environmental group, who endorsed Markey, spent the money to send mailers to 150,000 households that touted Markey's work on expanding clean-energy jobs and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Weeks before the general election, an array of big names campaigned for Markey, including President Obama, Michelle Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, former Vice-President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton. Gomez also had a national political figure campaign for him, as Senator John McCain came to Massachusetts to support Gomez.

Democratic primary

Stephen Lynch

On February 21, 2013, Stephen Lynch received the endorsement of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council. The Local 7 Iron Workers union, where Lynch served as president, is a member of the Building Trades Council.

Ed Markey

On February 23, 2013, Ed Markey was endorsed by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 93. This union represented 35,000 Massachusetts employee and was an affiliate group of the nation labor union that shares its name.

Markey's campaign released a list of over 100 state politicians on April 25, 2013. The list included House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer Steven Grossman. It also included 17 state Senators, 63 state Representatives and 18 mayors – including all the mayors and state legislators in the 5th Congressional District, which Markey represented.

On April 27, 2013, Caroline Kennedy announced her endorsement for Markey. In a press-release Markey stated, "I'm so proud to have the support of Caroline Kennedy, a friend and passionate advocate for our children, families, and seniors. I share Caroline's commitment to taking on big fights for the people of Massachusetts, and in the Senate I will fight to defend President Obama's historic health care reform law, protect a woman's right to choose, and ensure all people have access to the opportunities to succeed in the 21st century."

District history

District history

Candidate ballot access
Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

2012

On November 6, 2012, Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown.

U.S. Senate, Massachusetts General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Elizabeth Warren	53.3%	1,696,346
	Republican	Scott Brown Incumbent	45.8%	1,458,048
	N/A	All Others	0.1%	2,159
	N/A	Blank Votes	0.9%	27,643
Total Votes				3,184,196
Source: Massachusetts Secretary of State "Return of Votes"

2010

On January 19, 2010, Brown won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Martha Coakley (D) and Joseph L. Kennedy (L) in the special election.

U.S. Senate Special Election, Massachusetts, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Scott Brown	51.9%	1,168,178
	Democratic	Martha Coakley	47.1%	1,060,861
	Libertarian	Joseph L. Kennedy	1%	22,388
	Independent	Write-In	0.1%	1,155
Total Votes				2,252,582

2008

On November 4, 2008, Kerry won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Jeffrey Beatty and Robert Underwood in the general election.

U.S. Senate General Election, Massachusetts, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Kerry Incumbent	65.9%	1,971,974
	Republican	Jeffrey Beatty	31%	926,044
	Libertarian	Robert Underwood	3.1%	93,713
Total Votes				2,991,731

See also

• Special elections to the 113th United States Congress (2013-2014)
• United States Senate elections, 2012
• United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts
• BP News: Reps battle for the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts primary election
• BP News: Longtime Rep, Republican newcomer win nominations in Massachusetts special election
• BP News: Special election heads to general election in Massachusetts
• BP News: Markey defeats Gomez for Senate seat in Massachusetts special election

External links

• Special Election Candidates from Massachusetts Elections Division
• Special Election Calendar
• Candidate's Guide for 2013 Special Election
• Current Massachusetts Special Elections
• Campaign finance at Open Secrets
• Collected news and commentary at the Boston Herald
• Collected news and commentary (dead link) at the Boston Globe

Footnotes

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Massachusetts' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Edward Markey (D)

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Representatives

District 1

Richard Neal (D)

District 2

Jim McGovern (D)

District 3

Lori Trahan (D)

District 4

Jake Auchincloss (D)

District 5

Katherine Clark (D)

District 6

Seth Moulton (D)

District 7

Ayanna Pressley (D)

District 8

Stephen Lynch (D)

District 9

Bill Keating (D)

Democratic Party (11)