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Democrats Blitz Markey’s House Seat #MA05 | The Field

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., has been the favorite to win the special election for Senate for months — which means his House seat has been an attractive spot for ambitious local Democrats for even longer.

A handful of Democrats have been running for nearly three months to replace Markey, who won a Senate primary on Tuesday and is in a strong position to win the special election on June 25.

Three Democrats made their congressional aspirations known in early February, and each of them turned in six-figure first-quarter fundraising reports. Other potential candidates were waiting for the outcome of Markey’s primary with Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, but nonetheless made their intentions to run for his seat known.

The list of announced candidates include:

  • State Sen. Katherine Clark, who raised $262,000 in the first quarter and had $257,000 in cash on hand.
  • State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who raised $257,000 and had $247,000 on hand.
  • State Rep. Carl Sciortino, who raised $152,000 and had $139,000 on hand.

(See how much other House candidates raised in Roll Call’s First-Quarter Fundraising Chart)

Before the primary, at least two other Democrats openly discussed considering a run if Markey emerged victorious: state Sen. Karen Spilka and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, who is a former state representative.

President Barack Obama won the district by 32 points in 2012. He carried Massachusetts by 23 points.

Markey is heavily favored to win the special election over Republican nominee Gabriel Gomez. The winner will replace interim Sen. William “Mo” Cowan, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick, and will likely run for a full six-year term in November 2014.

Should Markey win the June 25 contest, the governor could schedule the special election to replace him in the fall, to coincide with municipal elections.

Editor’s Note: The field is a reoccurring series that examines the political landscape in a specific congressional race. Want to read about the field for a particular district or state? We take requests: Tweet @rollcall with #thefield or
email us at politics@cqrollcall.com.

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