Republican Scott Brown has won the Massachusetts special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the late Edward Kennedy.
Brown, who beat the state's Democratic attorney general, Martha Coakley, will become the 41st Republican vote in the Senate, a shift in power that could block President Obama's health care legislation if it comes up for a vote later this year.
"The president congratulated Senator Brown on his victory and a well-run campaign," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement. "The president told Senator Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, released a statement arguing that, "Massachusetts voters sent a clear message to the nation in favor of fiscal responsibility and checks-and-balances in Washington."
“Even in the bluest of blue states, Scott Brown’s message resonated with families, seniors, and small business owners who have rejected President Obama’s massive health care takeover and the Democrats’ out-of-control spending agenda in Washington," he said.
A Republican candidate has not won a Senate seat in the Bay State since 1972. Kennedy, who died of brain cancer last year, had held the seat for 47 years. Coakley had started off the campaign with a double-digit lead, according to polls, but the race tightened in recent weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada released a statement welcoming Brown to the Senate. He said the Senate would seat Brown "as soon as the proper paperwork has been received."
"While Senator-elect Brown’s victory changes the political math in the Senate, we remain committed to strengthening our economy, creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access affordable health care," Reid said. "We hope that Scott Brown will join us in these efforts. There is much work to do to address the problems Democrats inherited last year, and we plan to move full speed ahead."
Republicans argued that the win forecast serious problems for Democrats in the fall congressional elections.
"Scott Brown’s win confirms the serious ramifications that will haunt Democrats all the way to the November elections," National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said in a statement. "No matter how Democrats want to spin it, there is a movement building in America that threatens their majority in Congress."
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said the party would work hard for at-risk House Democrats this year. "Elections are about choices," he said, "and this year’s midterms will be a choice between continuing the economic progress and independent leadership that House Democrats are delivering for their districts versus Republicans who are eager to turn back the clock to the same failed Bush-Cheney policies that brought our economy to the brink of collapse.”
10 comments:
I don't think that there will be a total change but a small one. It's great that he won and that the people are happy. but i think that everyone deserves health care but only if it benefits all Americans, and doesn't put us further in dept. I hope that one day both parties will have the same amount of power so that they must count on each other to get thing done that would better our country.
This is really shocking. Brown’s victory in one of the most progressive states in America shows that the scare tactic by far left has finally worked. People are clearly not ready for this bill. Brown wants us to believe that he’s one of the Republicans who are not “beholden to the special interests of the party”; well I guess we just have to wait and see. Nonetheless we know that this will definitely change the game plan for both parties and will affect the health care bill since Obama said that senate wouldn’t try to jam anything through until Brown is seated. Democrats have to come up with a compromise or try to stick to the current bill with no major changes. Things aren’t looking good for democrats.
Maybe this could be a good thing for the senate. They could come together to help our nation and this is the first step. Creating more jobs and helping out the economy. Go republicans!
This is really shocking. Brown’s victory in one of the most progressive states in America shows that the scare tactic by far left has finally worked. People are clearly not ready for this bill. Brown wants us to believe that he’s one of the Republicans who are not “beholden to the special interests of the party”; well I guess we just have to wait and see. Nonetheless we know that this will definitely change the game plan for both parties and will affect the health care bill since Obama said that senate wouldn’t try to jam anything through until Brown is seated. Democrats have to come up with a compromise or try to stick to the current bill with no major changes. Things aren’t looking good for democrats.
Cool that Scott Brown won and everything but i believe its not going to make a big change in the Senate.It sounds like a fight between Demoratics and Republican.They are both trying to find the bad things each party has done rather working together to fix the economy.
In some way, I feel sorry for Scott Brown. I congradulate him for his victorious win, but I don't think he know exactly what he is getting himself into. Poor Scott Brown is fresh meat in the Senate shark pool; he will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders now. The current year (2010) will be an interesting year for the bi-elections and I am scared/excited to see what will come of Mr. Brown and the rest of the Senate. It will be difficult to guess, but I can only hope that what will go down will benefit the people during these difficult, trying times.
As a Democrat, I'm a little upset at Martha Coakley. She ran an incredibly lazy campaign. As for Brown's victory, I think that the gutted health care bill that won't help as many people as it would have if it hadn't been changed by the gang of 6 is still going to pass despite Browns surprising Massachuttes win. as a side note, if Brown were a woman, his (in this scenario, her) campaign would have been compleatly sunk by the nude pic in Cosmopolitan Magazine.
This country has always been too focused on political parties. We define our government, states and selves by their political affiliation. We limit our potential by forcing us into lables and titles. People let what party they are affect what they read and what news they watch. If we limit our canidates and ourselves to what our political party says we will miss oppurtunity for growth.
"While Senator-elect Brown’s victory changes the political math in the Senate, we remain committed to strengthening our economy, creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access affordable health care," Good to know,,, now get after it!!!
The election of Brown will affect the Health Care Bill dramatically. It will tip the majority of held seats away from the Democrats, making the voting of the bill a lot more difficult. The Health Care Plan has already gone through major changes from its original proposition. The current plan is almost beyond recognition from its birth. I’m afraid that with the election of Brown, Obama’s Heath Care Plan will suffer enormous setbacks.
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