Rep. Joe Kennedy III will reportedly announce on Saturday that he’s challenging Sen. Ed Markey in the Massachusetts Democratic primary bid, a move that would open up his blue 4th Congressional District. This seat includes the affluent Boston suburbs of Brookline and Newton and stretches south to Attleboro and Taunton. Hillary Clinton carried the district 59-35, and Team Blue should have no trouble holding it without Kennedy.
Former Wall Street regulator Ihssane Leckey launched a primary challenge against Kennedy here all the way back in May. Leckey who immigrated to the United States from Morocco and went on to work at the Federal Reserve, contrasted her pitch for democratic socialism with Kennedy's call for "moral capitalism." However, Leckey raised just $12,000 during her first quarter in the race.
A number of other Democrats have been considering running in the weeks since Kennedy began publicly flirting with a Senate bid. State Treasurer Deb Goldberg set up a fundraising committee last week, though her team said Wednesday evening that she was still mulling over her plans.
That same night, after the news broke that Kennedy would run against Markey, Alliance for Business Leadership head Jesse Mermell resigned her post leading the nonprofit, and a source close to her said she’d launch her campaign in days. Mermell was a top aide to Deval Patrick during his governorship, and like Goldberg, she’s a former Brookline selectwoman.
Several other Democrats have expressed interest in running for an open seat in August and in September:
- Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss
- Assistant state Attorney General Dave Cavell
- Transportation for Massachusetts director Chris Dempsey
- State Sen. Paul Feeney
- Former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan (was quoted as saying "🤔")
- Attorney and former New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang
- State Rep. Tommy Vitolo
- Newton City Councilor Becky Walker Grossman
In the reportedly considering column we have:
- Brookline Selectman Raul Fernandez
- Be The Change CEO and 2009 Senate candidate Alan Khazei
- Former Newton Mayor Setti Warren
- Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim
Democrats who haven’t ruled out running include:
- 2018 gubernatorial nominee Jay Gonzalez
- Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux
- State Sen. Marc Pacheco
Other Democrats who have been mentioned are:
- State Rep. Ruth Balser
- State Sen. Cynthia Creem
- State Rep. Claire Cronin
- Attorney and Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan
- Former Boston City Councilor Mike Ross
- Obama Foundation CEO David Simas
- Former Fall River Mayor Sam Sutter
State Sen. Becca Rausch initially considered campaigning for this seat, but she took her name out of contention last week.
While this seat is very unlikely to be in play, especially with Donald Trump leading the GOP ticket, state Rep. Shawn Dooley expressed interest in running last month. Former state Rep. Keiko Orrall, who lost last year’s treasurer race to Goldberg 68-29, and state Rep. Shaunna O’Connell have also been mentioned.
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