Congressman Ed Markey (D. MA), who is running for Secretary of State John Kerry's (D. MA) Senate seat, keeps on raking in the endorsements:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Based on his record relating to issues affecting the gay community, Democratic U.S. Rep. and Senate hopeful Edward Markey was endorsed Monday by the Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit that pushes civil rights issues pertaining to LGBT people.
In endorsing Markey over Republican Gabriel Gomez, the HRC cited the longtime congressman's opposition to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and his consistently perfect score from the group since it began tracking legislators' positions on LGBT legislation in Congress in 1989.
“Massachusetts has been a leader for LGBT equality since it ushered in marriage equality nine years ago, and the people of the Bay State deserve another great Senator who represents the American value of fairness for all,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a statement. "Rep. Markey has spent his career in Congress working to advance equality. It’s time for him to bring that proven track record to the U.S. Senate."
Markey's opposition to DOMA, which defined marriage at the federal level as a union between an man and a woman, does place him somewhat at odds with Gomez, who considers himself a "new Republican."
In accepting the endorsement, Markey lauded the HRC and its work to promote LGBT equality.
"I am proud to receive the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign, whose passion and tenacity galvanized a movement that has made this country more equal for all Americans, regardless of who you love,” Markey said in a statement. “I voted against DOMA and have urged President Obama to prevent discrimination by federal contractors. In the Senate, I will bring this fight for equal rights and advocacy on behalf of LGBT people." - The Republican, 5/20/13
Other big names have been coming out to show their support for Markey:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Boston Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino. National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern. Top executives of Google, Massachusetts General Hospital and Chartwell Hotels.
All have one thing in common: they donated several thousand dollars to the U.S. Senate campaign of Democrat Edward J. Markey.
Markey, who has served in the U.S. House, representing the cities of Malden and Melrose since 1976, has parlayed his reputation as a progressive congressman and a leader on energy policy into a stream of dollars from prominent donors in Massachusetts and nationally.
Markey is facing Republican private equity investor Gabriel Gomez in a June 25 special election for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant when John F. Kerry became U.S. secretary of state.
“He has a long track record of being ahead of his time on important issues,” said Tom Lesser, a partner at the Northampton law firm of Lesser Newman and Nasser who is a member of Markey’s finance committee.
Lesser said Markey has been at the forefront of clean energy and environmental issues. Markey was also one of the first House members to oppose the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
Lesser said Markey’s reputation has helped the congressman gain national support. “He’s well known around the country for his positions on climate control and other issues,” Lesser said. - The Republican, 5/20/13
By the way, if you live in Massachusetts, mark this down on your calendar on June 5th:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidates Edward Markey, a Democrat, and Gabriel Gomez, a Republican, have agreed to a June 5 debate in Boston.
The debate will be sponsored by WBZ and the Boston Globe.
The agreement came after both candidates last week accused the other campaign of not responding to requests to negotiate details of the debates.
The Markey campaign sent out a press release on Saturday saying it had agreed to participate in the Boston debate. The Gomez campaign confirmed Monday that it had agreed as well.
According to a letter that the debate sponsors sent to the candidates, the debate will be held at WBZ studios in Allston. It will be an hour-long debate, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., moderated by WBZ’s Jon Keller with questions by Keller and by Cynthia Needham of the Boston Globe. - The Republican, 5/20/13
The Special Election is Tuesday, June 25th. if you'd like to get involved with the campaign or donate, you can do so here:
http://www.edmarkey.com/