If you live in Boston, set your calendars because Congressman Ed Markey (D. MA) is getting a big visitor next week:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
President Obama is headed to Boston next Wednesday to campaign and fundraise for Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). The special election to fill the Senate seat vacated when John Kerry became secretary of state will be held on June 25.
The Markey campaign confirmed the president would be in Boston on Wednesday, June 12, but wouldn’t comment on the fundraiser. Another Democratic source in the state confirmed the fundraiser, which will be a lunchtime event at the posh Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel.
Last week, first lady Michelle Obama headlined a fundraiser for Markey, which raised $600,000 for the longtime Massachusetts congressman. - ABC News, 6/4/13
By the way, Markey is debating Gabriel Gomez (R. MA) tonight:
http://www.masslive.com/...
The two candidates for U.S. Senate will meet head-to-head for the first time in a Wednesday evening debate in Boston.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey and Republican private equity investor Gabriel Gomez will hold an hour-long debate at the WBZ-TV studios at 7 p.m.
The debate will be moderated by WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller with questions by the Boston Globe’s Cynthia Needham. The debate will be streamed live on boston.com, bostonglobe.com and cbsboston.com and will be simulcast live on WBZ-AM NewsRadio 1030.
The special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry will be held on June 25. While Markey has maintained a lead throughout the race, polls have varied on the size of that lead. The most recent poll, conducted June 1-2 by New England College, found Markey 12 points ahead of Gomez, 52 percent to 40 percent, with 8 percent undecided. - The Republican, 6/5/13
http://www.boston.com/...
As both candidates prepare for Wednesday’s US Senate debate, Democrat Edward J. Markey released a 60-second radio advertisement that peppers listeners with questions about his opponent, Gabriel E. Gomez, and attempts to paint the Republican as an opaque figure.
“Get ready, Massachusetts,” a male narrator says. “Tonight is the first debate between Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democrat Ed Markey. It’s a chance to finally get some answers from Gabriel Gomez.”
A female narrator then adds: “Answers to simple questions. Like where Gomez stands on the controversial bill seeking to prevent women from getting birth control.”
That line appears to be referring to the Blunt Amendment, a measure that would have let an employer opt out of paying for workers’ birth control coverage if the employer deemed it morally objectionable. Gomez has faced criticism from Democrats on the issue since he told the Globe he had not read the amendment.
In the ad, the two narrators then talk back and forth through questions that underscore recent Democratic attacks on Gomez.
“And why he won’t release his 2005 tax return or tell us about the $280,000 tax break he took that year” the female narrator says. Gomez has released six years of tax returns, but not those for 2005, the year in which he claimed a controversial $281,500 income tax deduction on his Cohasset home.
“Tune in everybody,” the male narrator says. “It’s time we get the truth.”
The paid ad will air Wednesday on Boston radio and will play 16 times on WBZ-AM and 16 times on WEEI-FM over the course of the day, a Markey campaign aide said. - Boston Globe, 6/5/13
And check out this awesome attack ad Markey's team recently put out hitting Gomez hard on Social Security, abortion and gun control:
Gomez's campaign has been fighting back by attacking Markey on taxes:
http://www.masslive.com/...
Following the release of several attack ads and press releases from Democrat Ed Markey's U.S. Senate campaign and various other groups supporting his candidacy in Massachusetts, Republican Gabriel Gomez's campaign is striking back.
Hours before the first debate in the special U.S. Senate election, Gomez's campaign pushed out an Internet-based video showing Markey, a 36-year congressman, responding to a question about the tax rate he pays, as revealed through the recent release of his income tax returns.
In the video, a reporter asks Markey about his approximately 20 percent federal tax rate, and whether he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary or anyone below him in his office.
In Markey's somewhat hesitant response, he defends his relatively low tax rate saying that he thinks he's paid his "fair share under the law" but "if there was a debate to increase the alternative minimum tax I would certainly very seriously consider raising it if it was necessary."
An analysis of both Markey and Gomez's income tax returns by The Republican/MassLive.com's Shira Schoenberg revealed that Markey has an average effective tax rate of 19.18 percent over the past eight years while Gomez's rate was slightly higher at 21.02 percent over a six year period, although he earned significantly more than Markey. - The Republican, 6/5/13
If you live in Massachusetts, be sure to check out the debate tonight. The Special Election is Tuesday, June 25th. If you would like to donate or get involved with the Markey campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.edmarkey.com/