By ROBERT RIZZUTO SHIRA SCHOENBERG
Republican Scott Brown will not jump into the U.S. Senate race to replace John Kerry, the former senator confirmed in a statement Friday afternoon.
Brown, who lost to Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in November, has been considered the GOP favorite because of his statewide popularity and name recognition. But following a meeting of the Republican State Committee last night, word began spreading across Massachusetts that Brown was leaning against a run.
Brown, a married father of two, talked of the strain campaigning put on his family in an interview just days before the Nov. 6 election.
In a statement announcing that he wouldn’t run in the 2013 special election, Brown reflected on his tenure in the U.S. Senate and circled back to the factor he has always maintained is the most important- his family.
Brown’s full statement follows:
“Representing Massachusetts in the United States Senate was the greatest privilege of my life, an experience that takes second place only to my marriage to Gail and the birth of our daughters. It was a higher honor than I had ever expected, and in the time given to me I always tried to make the most of it.
“When I was first sent to the Senate in early 2010, it wasn’t exactly welcome news for President Obama or many other Democrats. Yet among my best memories from those three years in office are visits to the White House to see the President sign into law bills that I had sponsored. I left office last month on the best of terms with colleagues both Republican and Democrat. I had worked well with so many of them, regardless of party, to serve the public interest just as we are all supposed to. All of this was in keeping with the pledge I made at the beginning to do my own thinking and to speak for the independent spirit of our great state.
“Over these past few weeks I have given serious thought about the possibility of running again, as events have created another vacancy requiring another special election. I have received a lot of encouragement from friends and supporters to become a candidate, and my competitive instincts were leading in the same direction.
“Even so, I was not at all certain that a third Senate campaign in less than four years, and the prospect of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left, was really the best way for me to continue in public service at this time. And I know it’s not the only way for me to advance the ideals and causes that matter most to me.
“That is why I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for the United States Senate in the upcoming special election.”
U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston; and U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Malden, will square off in a Democratic primary in the special election to replace John Kerry, who was confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate on Jan. 29, 2013.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Edward Markey of Malden and Stephen Lynch of South Boston have declared their respective intention to run and will square off in a Democratic primary on April 30. The special election date has been set for June 25.
Lynch reacted to the news with kind words for Brown.
“I understand Scott Brown’s decision. He has basically been campaigning non-stop for three years,” Lynch said in a statement Friday. “It’s perfectly understandable that he wouldn’t want to undertake another campaign. I wish all the best to Scott and his family.”
Markey said in a statement, “I respect Scott Brown’s decision and know that he did what he thought was best for him and his family.”
“This race is about who will be the best voice for our families and our future here in Massachusetts,” Markey continued. “My record taking on the gun lobby, fighting against climate change, creating clean energy jobs, and standing up for middle class families is clear, and I want to bring this energy and passion to the U.S. Senate.”
On Thursday, after some confusion at the Massachusetts Republican State Committee meeting in Natick, Brown’s former deputy finance director Kirsten Hughes was chosen as the party’s new chairwoman in a 41-39 vote.
Immediately following her win, opponent Rick Green, an entrepreneur from Pepperell, called on the party to put aside its differences and walk in-step together to focus on the 2013 special election.
Kirsten Hughes, the new chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said that Scott Brown’s absence from the race will allow another GOP candidate to take a shot at the state’s majority party candidate.
Green and Hughes had split the party’s support nearly equally ahead of the election, signaling that the Republican Party’s Massachusetts base is a diverse group that isn’t going to always see eye-to-eye.
Hughes released a statement on Friday highlighting her intentions to find a candidate while not missing the opportunity to take a shot at both Lynch and Markey.
“The Massachusetts Republican Party is optimistic about the special election for U.S. Senate because of the strength, character and accomplishments of the many potential candidates who are today considering their political futures. The fact is the Democratic Party will field a mediocre congressman with a highly partisan record who has been part of the Washington gridlock,” Hughes said in a statement. “A Republican Senator from Massachusetts will offer the bipartisan leadership to solve our nation’s problems. Members of our party have an unparalleled level of energy and commitment to the Republican cause. This special election will unite us in the shared purpose of again electing a Republican to the United States Senate. We shocked the world in 2010, and united, we can do it again.”
Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., right, shakes hands with former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld after Weld endorsed Brown in Boston on Oct. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Possible names being floated to run against Markey or Lynch include Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, who moved from New York back to Boston this fall to take a job at the Mintz Levin law firm, stoking speculation that he might return to state politics.
Weld has said he would not compete with Brown to run for the Senate. But he never ruled out another run for public office, and is considered a possible contender now that Brown is no longer in contention.
Another possible contender is former state Senate minority leader Richard Tisei, who narrowly lost a race for U.S. House in November to Democratic Congressman John Tierney.
Other potential GOP candidates being discussed as possibilities are former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who served under Gov. Mitt Romney; State Sen. Michael Knapik, R-Westfield; and State Rep. Dan Winslow, R-Norfolk, who contributed to Brown’s campaign in 2012.
Attempts to reach the aforementioned Republicans on Friday for comment were not immediately successful.
Recent polls indicate that Brown had been considered a strong Republican contender in the special election.
One poll by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found Brown leading Markey 48-45 percent, just within the poll’s 3.6 percent margin of error. He held a larger lead over Lynch. A MassINC Polling Group poll found Brown with a 22-point lead over Markey. It did not do a head to head comparison with Lynch.
Anthony Cignoli, a Springfield-based political strategist, said Brown’s decision leaves Republicans without the candidate who would have had the most name recognition and who could have raised the most money in the state.
“The Republicans don’t have their major standard bearer,” Cignoli said. “Brown was their best opportunity.”
Paul Santaniello, a Republican activist and Longmeadow selectman, said Brown’s decision highlights the Republicans’ lack of top candidates.
“It shows there’s a huge void in my opinion of someone who can step up to that stage,” Santaniello said. “There’s a huge void in the farm system of the Republican Party.”
Santaniello said the only potential candidate who has run a statewide campaign would be Charlie Baker – the former Republican gubernatorial candidate who lost to Deval Patrick in 2010. But Baker has ruled out a Senate run, and is said to have his eye on the 2014 governor’s race.
Santaniello said a candidate like Weld might attract independents, but would have a hard time shoring up the Republican base, given Weld’s 2008 endorsement of Democratic President Barack Obama.