Democratic Rep. Ed Markey is in prime positioning to sweep the Massachusetts Senate race if his double-digit lead in the polls holds for Tuesday’s special election.
The latest UMass Lowell-Boston Herald poll from Thursday found Markey up a full 20 points to his opponent, Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez. The poll showed Markey leading with 56% of support from Bay State voters, compared to 36% support for Gomez. Yet another poll out from Emerson College Friday found Markey outpacing Gomez 51% to 41%
The race to fill the seat left by former Sen. John Kerry, who left Congress earlier this year to lead the State Department, is Massachusetts’ second special election in three years. In 2010, Republican Scott Brown won an upset victory to claim the late Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat. Republicans look to Gomez, a young Hispanic businessman and former Navy SEAL, to follow in Brown’s footsteps in a race that has received significantly less national fanfare.
Democrats out to avoid a repeat upset enlisted the party’s elite—including President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama— to stump for Markey, who has served in the House of Representatives for over 36 years. Vice President Joe Biden is speaking at a rally Saturday to give the congressional veteran a final boost before polls close on Tuesday.
Amanda Sakuma