If Kerry Wins the Nomination, What About His Senate Seat?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

If Kerry wins the nomination, our Republican governor, Mitt Romney, gets to appoint someone to Kerry's seat, thus throwing off the Senate balance even further.

My brother-in-law was saying that Governor Romney could appoint HIMSELF to the Senate and the Lt. Governor, Kerry Healey would then be Mass. Governor. Romney has had two failed bids to oust Kerry and Kennedy from their Senate seats, and I'm sure there's a revenge factor there. Romney is fighting against the gay marriage ruling, and if he took over the Senate seat he could rise to prominence and use this as a launching pad to the Presidency. He would probably garner a lot of support from fundies for this reason alone. For a Mass. governor, he is pretty conservative (we generally elect RINOs like Bill Weld).

I'm just airing some paranoid thoughts here. Maybe someone can confirm or deny my brother-in-law's assertion that Romney can appoint HIMSELF? He is by far the most conservative pol in my state...

[TheDonkey]

1. How the heck did he get elected in the first place???

But yes, Mass would have a (r) senator for teh first time in awhile.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. Who, Kerry or Romney?

The Dems put up a fairly weak candidate (Shannon O'Brien) against Romney, who ran a nasty campaign against her, replete with sexist namecalling.

Kerry is pretty liberal-his record nearly mirrors Ted Kennedy-and that's how he got elected. The repukes have very little clout in Mass.

[TheDonkey]

34. yeah I meant Romney

a shame a republicon can take the state.

[JohnKleeb]

2. hopefully Governor Mittens will be ruined by this decision

:hi: RR

[Redneck Socialist]

4. Romney's name has been floated...

...as a replacement for cheney. I don't think there is much too the rumors but it is interesting.

As for appointing himself I believe he could but there would be a pretty big backlash if he did.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

5. Given Romney's Arrogance, I wouldn't put a "self-appointment" past him

He makes Finneran look like a reasonable person. And I can't stand Finneran.

scares the crap out of me-we'd have the first Republican Senator since Ed Brooke (in the '70s, I believe).

[argyl]

6. Maybe they'll give it to Smirk.

xx

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. Um-Not in a state where Gore got 67% of the vote

and Nader did pretty well, too. All hell would break loose.

I'm hoping smirk will be in Gitmo by then!

[argyl]

9. That was posted with tongue firmly in cheek.

xx

[Kathy in Cambridge]

11. I know you were joking

Smirk behind bars would be oh so sweet though, wouldn't it?

[I Lean Left]

8. Only an issue if Kerry wins the General Election

He wouldn't step down as Senator unless he actually becomes President.

It is an interesting question though. I don't know how the state laws work. Would there then be an immediate election the following November to finish Kerry's term? Or would the appointed Senator get to finish the term (4 years!). If Romney appoints himself, then Healy, the Lt. Gov finishes his term without an immediate election. That's what happened with our last two governors, so I'm at least sure of that.

It would open things up here. The Attorney General would run against Healy and probably win. I think the Senate seat would backlash against Romney. I could possibly see Joe Kennedy running for that seat. For a state with Kerry and Kennedy, we don't have an abundance of rising stars waiting their turn.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

10. There are some young, up-and-coming Dems

like Jarrett Barrios, who has his sights set on Congress someday. There are some city councilors in Boston and Cambridge that definitely have the smarts to go far.

In Mass., the Governor appoints the interim Senator until the next election cycle I believe (Kerry is up for re-election in 2006; he had no Republican challenger last time).

There are some older Dems who are pretty savvy politically-though none quite like Kennedy and Kerry. I hope Teddy guards his health, stays away from small planes, and is not planning on retirement any time soon.

[I Lean Left]

12. Nope

Kerry's seat is up in 2008. He was just re-elected in 2002. And he did have a challenger in Robinson. Just not a very strong one. I think the next election cycle might refer to the following November but I'm not sure. We haven't had a senator step down here since JFK when he won the White House. If I recall, that's when Teddy won a special election to finish his term as has been there ever since.

Never heard of the up and comer you mentioned. Not likely to win a Senate seat. Also, Romney has only one failed bid for the Senate and that was against Ted.

The Attorney General is the only statewide dem currently holding office with name recognition and positive favorability ratings. Unless someone from the congressional delegation decides to move up, but there is no clear winner there either.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Ed Markey? Barney Frank? Marty Meehan? Mike Capuano?

they have a pretty good reputation.

Duh-I meant 2008 regarding Kerry's re-election. it's late and I mistyped. Jackie Robinson was hardly a challenger-the state Republican party distanced itself from him.

On edit: if you're in Mass., how come you cheer for the Evil Empire? ;-)

[I Lean Left]

16. They do

But I don't know if any of them have the name and face recognition to beat Romney in an election for the senate seat.

I'm a transplant from The Bronx. Moved here in '86. I root for the Pats, Celts, and (if needed) the Bruins. But I just can't bring myself to root for the Sox. I don't think it will ever happen. There are actually a stunning number of Yanks fans who live in the Worcester area. Old Italian thing dating back to Dimaggio and Berra or something.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

18. 1986: The Year we lost to that other NY baseball team!

I really respect the Yankee dynasty, even as a Sox fan. I just hate Steinbrenner, and have traumatic memories of 1978. 2003 was no picnic either.

I understand the Italian thing with the Yanks-there was still so much prejudice against Italians when DiMaggio and Berra played that they became symbols of hope and role models.

Do you run into many freepers out Worcester-way? that's one of the more conservative parts of Mass.

[I Lean Left]

20. Run into them more and more

The state is starting to turn. The western suburbs are becoming more Republican. Romney recently spoke at our high school after receiving an invitation from the young republican club! The 495 belt is becoming more to the right also. And it seems like every talk show host on the radio is really far right.

Definitely not the same state as when I moved here, but still a damn site better than most!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

21. Hate Radio is part of the problem

No offense, but I blame the transplants to Mass for this rightward shift. If you look at the urban areas, they are almost entirely Dem.

Also, there is not one liberal talk radio host in Boston (Eagan/Braude are reduced to an hour a day on 96.9 WTKK). Jay Severin has been using the term "wetback" repeatedly, and has not been censored.

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/medialog/index.asp

snip: "For a while, Severin got a lot of scrutiny. But it seems like in the past year or so, he's gotten a free pass. WEEI Radio (AM 850) suspended John Dennis and Gerry Callahan for a bit that compared black school children to an escaped gorilla. WRKO Radio (AM 680) fired John "Ozone" Osterlind for suggesting that Israel should "eradicate" the Palestinian people. (Osterlind has denied it, and I've never heard the tape.) Sadly, 'RKO (which pays me to blab about the media on Pat Whitley's show once a week) continues to let Howie Carr denigrate gays and welfare mothers.

But Severin goes about his merry way, making fun of "wetbacks" and "towelheads," and no one says a word. Well, it's offensive and degrading, and WTKK management shouldn't put up with it." " snip

[really-looney]

23. Special election free for all

If there is a special election every elected politician in the state will run. Secretary Galvin, DA Coakley, AG Riley, the entire congressional delegation, many of the loosing democratic governors candidates anyone with a few million to burn. A special will bring everyone out of the woodwork because there is nothing to loose. No one has to give up there seat to run.

Cong Meehan has over 1.5 million in the bank, Cong Neal has well over a million. Most of the rest of the delegation has nearly a million dollars in the bank. The news papers and tv stations will be rich.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

33. Tom Birmingham is a good choice, but may be too urban and populist

for the Central and Western Part of the state. He used to butt heads with Finneran all the time.

[Bombtrack]

14. the seat would only open if Kerry beat Bush, I'd be more concerned about

the 5 southern senate seats who could all easily be won by right wing republicans if either of the candidates from the 2 worst states a democrat could come from are nominated(VT and MA)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

15. How does that follow? Think they'll be pissed that a Yankee won the nod?

And then not vote Dem anymore? I think you aren't giving Southern Dems enough credit...

[I Lean Left]

17. Might not matter

I can't think of another region of this country that won't vote for a candidate that's from outside that region. It's a little maddening.

Truthfully, if this Anger at Bush holds up, and we keep seeing record turnout, then the swing voter might became irrelevent. I think demographics win the day and Dems have them.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. I'm sick of the Civil War thing too

The Revolutionary War was fought in my backyard (literally) and some of my ancestors were killed in battle. But I don't hate the Brits. I really can't understand the animosity.

I think there's so much anger against Bush that most people will put aside regional differences. We can only hope.

[Calico4000]

35. It's BS

I live in TX and the ONLY time (and I mean the ONLY time) I EVER hear references to "the north" or "the south" are here at DU.

NO ONE gives a damn about "the north" or "the south". It's a fantasy thought by a few people who study the civil war a little too much (or are 100 years old).

I think some people may attribute the south going repub as some south/north thing. The fact is, however, the south is simply more conservative. It has nothing to do with north/south.

[TheBigDemo]

22. Kerry would stay a Senator I think if he gets the nomination

So it would not matter. Besides. If Romney appointed himself he would be laughed out of office by the voters. People hate that sort of thing. Nobody should appoint themselves to the Senate unless they plan on not running again.

James K.

[election_2004]

24. Here's the answer...

Several months ago, I asked Kerry spokesman David Wade about this very issue in an email, and here's a paraphrasing of what Mr. Wade told me:

Basically, if Kerry wins the General Election, he would vacate his Senate seat, and Governor Romney would indeed appoint a Republican to replace Kerry.

However, the state legislature would then decide when to hold the special election to permanently fill Kerry's seat (which expires in 2008). Since the Massachusetts state legislature is controlled by Democrats, they would most likely hold that special election right away.

So, in essence, Romney's appointment would only be a seat-warmer to serve in Kerry's spot for a few months, until the special election was held to fill that seat for the remaining 4 years of Kerry's unserved term.

Also, Romney would most likely appoint a liberal Republican to replace Kerry. Think about it: there's no way a conservative Republican is going to win a statewide race for the U.S. Senate in MASSACHUSETTS!! Romney will want to pick a seat-warmer who has at least a chance of potentially defeating whoever the Democrats nominate in the special election for Kerry's seat.

[maddezmom]

25. So even if Romney appoints himself it'll we short lived

thanks :)

[seaglass]

26. I've thought about this scenario, and there's no way

Romney would appoint himself; we've had too many Repub governors who've abandoned their posts. In addition Romney wants to be Pres and I don't think he sees that route being through the Senate.

The problem for Romney is that there are no strong Repubs in the state, at least I can't think of any. Maybe he could bring back Jane Swift? Maybe Cellucci would abandon his post in Canada?

Hey, what if he chose Finneran - two birds with one stone, he could get him out of the Legislature and then leave us with a shitty Senator...that would be really evil.

[I Lean Left]

27. Maybe

they could use the seat to lure Whitey Bulger out of hiding?

Cellucci actually makes the most sense for Romney. Enough of a name to win election. Probably Weld wishes now he had never moved to NY. He would be a real easy choice and the voters would probably let him stay in the senate.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

28. Weld: Only Republican I ever voted for

He ran against the vile, anti-choice Dem John Silber.

Only a liberal Repub could win-but there are very few left in Mass. I think there's many of the "new" kind of Repub a la Brian Lees.

[bushwakker]

29. It will be Joe Malone

Romney will appoint Malone. As for Romney's prez aspirations (which are incrediblt obvious), he is better off as governor than senator.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

30. Wasn't Joe Malone tainted by some scandal during the Cellucci admin?

:shrug:

[bushwakker]

36. treasurer's office stuff

no big deal

[NewJerseyDem]

31. Romney won't appoint himself

He wants to be president and appointing himself will hurt him. It will make him look bad and he would probably lose in the special election to Barney Frank who has indicated he would run for Senate if a seat opened up. Everything I've heard has indicated that former Governor Paul Cellucci, who is or was Ambassador to Canada, will be the most likely choice to replace Kerry.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

32. Cellucci isn't the brightest tool in the shed

but he's pretty liberal as far as Repubs go. I would LOVE to see Barney Frank in the Senate. He is a great orator!