It's a good day for the people of Massachusetts:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
Longtime Congressman Edward Markey was sworn in as junior Senator of Massachusetts Tuesday, joining his new colleagues just as the Senate was attempting to resolve its latest partisan crisis.
Vice President Joe Biden delivered the oath to Markey, who was flanked by Senator Elizabeth Warren and the William ``Mo’’ Cowan, who held the Senate seat temporarily after it was vacated by Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Markey won the seat in a special election on June 25, defeating Republican Gabriel Gomez.
Markey, 67, was a veteran of the House, but is now a rookie in the Senate.
Markey’s swearing-in ceremony was briefly postponed while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that an agreement had been reached to approve one President Obama’s nominees, Richard Cordray, as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was the first step in a tentative deal to end a stalemate over seven White House nominees.
Also on hand for Markey’s swearing in were Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, and House Democrats Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader, and Representative James McGovern, of Worcester. - Boston Globe, 7/16/13
Interim Senator Mo Cowan (D. MA) also said good bye to his Senate colleagues:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
“Been an honor to serve MA as Senator,” Cowan tweeted Monday. Cowan spent just over four months as a senator.
Markey was flanked by Cowan and and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as he entered the Senate chamber to take the oath of office. - Washington Post, 7/16/13
Markey also sounds happy to be leaving the House and enter the Senate:
http://www.politico.com/...
But Markey said it was fitting that his last vote in the House was on a farm bill that lacked food stamps — he voted “no” — and said his first day in the Senate is one that is likely to be defined by compromise. He said it underscored the bipartisan talks as “the reason I am coming to the Senate” and that he was given “reason for optimism” about the new chamber he is joining.
“The House of Representatives is broken,” Markey told reporters. “This is a bookend day, and I will be working today to make sure the Senate does work, that we break the gridlock, that we not allow the president’s nominees to be blocked from putting in place. I think it’s a bookend set of votes today that will help to make the Senate to work better.” - Politico, 7/16/13
I can't blame him. Glad to have Markey in the Senate. Now another election will be held to hold his seat:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/...
Markey's swearing in to the Senate formally kicks off the race to fill his now-vacant House seat, which he held for 37 years. On Monday, Gov. Deval Patrick (D. MA) set the dates for the special election, with the primaries on October 15 and the general election on December 10.
The seat is predicted by most political handicappers to remain safely in Democratic hands. The district covers many of the inner western and northern suburbs of Boston. - CNN, 7/16/13
Markey will have to run for a full term next year and he might be facing round 2 with Gabriel Gomez (R. MA):
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
Less than three weeks after losing a special US Senate election, Republican Gabriel E. Gomez said he is open to making another run for political office.
“If something does pop up and I’ve got the same passion that I had for this last race, then I would be interested in it,” he said.
In his first postelection interview, Gomez was reflective about his US Senate run, admitted to some missteps in his initial high-profile bid for elective office, but appeared to be at peace with the results.
Life has mostly returned to normal for the 47-year-old former private equity investor and Navy SEAL. Instead of crisscrossing the state for campaign events, Gomez’s days are busy taking care of his four children, spending time with his wife, and lacing up his neon green-and-blue New Balance sneakers for long runs along Cohasset’s picturesque streets.
But Gomez said, if the opportunity feels right, he may return to pounding the pavement on the campaign trail.
‘Here’s a guy who nobody knew about and he got within 10 points and they literally had to bring in every superhero in the world.’ — Gabriel E. Gomez, reflecting on his Senate race against Edward J. Markey
Sitting at the kitchen counter in his more than 100-year-old house on Sunday morning, he left the door wide open to another bid for public office.
Asked whether he would be open to positions at both the federal and state level, Gomez replied, “Yeah. Nothing’s off the table.” - Boston Globe, 7/15/13
Whatever happens, we'll be ready. Thank you Daily Kos community again for helping Congressman Ed Markey become Senator Ed Markey.