Politics

Markey wins Massachusetts special election

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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Democratic Rep. Ed Markey will be the next Senator from Massachusetts.

The 37-year-old veteran of Congress easily beat Republican businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez in the special election Tuesday. The Senate seat was vacated by former Sen. John Kerry when he became Secretary of State.

With 82 percent of districts reporting, Markey led with 54.1 percent to Gomez’s 45.6 percent.

The last time Massachusetts held a special election, things went very differently for Republicans. Scott Brown pulled off a surprise victory, upsetting Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley to become the next Massachusetts Senator. He lost his seat to Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren last year.

Gomez never caught fire in the same way that Brown did. Democrats, meanwhile, pulled out all the stops to help Markey: President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden all trekked to Massachusetts to campaign with the longtime congressman.

The Senate seat is currently held by Democratic Sen. Mo Cowan, who was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick as a placeholder until a special election could take place.

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