Can Scott Brown win another Senate election in Massachusetts?
Though Brown is far better known than any of his potential Democratic rivals — Reps. Ed Markey, Michael Capuano and Stephen Lynch top the current list — he’d also enter his third Senate campaign in four years with fresh wounds and new baggage.
Unlike 2010, when complacent Bay State Democrats were caught off-guard by the handsome state senator donning a Carhartt jacket and driving a pickup, operatives and activists could dust off the playbook Elizabeth Warren followed to an 8-percentage-point win.
And the damaged national Republican brand, which Warren hung on Brown’s neck to great effect, would likely continue to be a burden for the moderate Republican.
“He was exposed,” said Democratic operative Jim Jordan, who was Kerry’s first campaign manager in the senator’s 2004 run for president. “His nastiness [in the campaign] … won’t be forgotten. Ask Rick Santorum or George Allen, Once that veneer of affability is cracked, it really can’t be repaired.”
Blowback
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I’d say no.
Cindy Munford on December 17, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Maybe not, but if Democrats run another blockhead, it might be enough for him to win with midterm-level turnout.
The Count on December 17, 2012 at 4:00 PM
If only he had ‘high cheek bones’ and could write a ‘cookbook’ I’d say yes?
L
letget on December 17, 2012 at 4:04 PM
If he can’t beat a blatant fraudster…………..who can he beat?
Red Creek on December 17, 2012 at 4:12 PM
If the Injun lady could
Anyone should
Schadenfreude on December 17, 2012 at 4:13 PM
Nope.
Norwegian on December 17, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Being Mr. Reach Across The Aisle did not seem to work out so well.
I didn’t see Warren bragging about how reasonable she was going to be.
NeoKong on December 17, 2012 at 4:33 PM
Nah, let Assachusetts elect another braindead liberal. It’s what they deserve.
HumpBot Salvation on December 17, 2012 at 4:34 PM
Sure. He just needs to join the Democratic party.
Rocks on December 17, 2012 at 4:58 PM
I still don’t this attitude. I’m sorry Brown wasn’t Pat Buchanan but he is light years ahead of the fuktard MA just voted to replace him. Any “conservative” in MA that stayed home in protest over Brown is responsible for Warren winning.
roy_batty on December 17, 2012 at 5:02 PM
Highly unlikely….the people of that state take a
leave of their fantasyland about once every 10 years…
..then it’s back to electing parasites in Human form such
as the woman of Cherokee/Irish/liar ancestry….
ToddPA on December 17, 2012 at 5:07 PM
who cares? Brown was a good solid dem vote on almost everything. Might as well as have a dem in the seat so we know which party to blame
unseen on December 17, 2012 at 5:08 PM
it is simple. liberal republicians like Brownand Mitt give cover to liberal dems. They muddy the waters and do not allow the full blame to be placed on liberals for when their programs fail. nor do they allow a different ideology to be debated. There was no material difference between Brown and Warren. so the people voted for the one that was going ot promise them more stuff.
unseen on December 17, 2012 at 5:11 PM
We’re talking about Massachusetts here…not Utah. The far right Conservatives you apparently favor have zero chance of being elected Senator of Massachusetts. Zero.
asc85 on December 17, 2012 at 5:23 PM
Another clear-eyed Hot Air poster. I don’t know how often he voted with the Dems, and I’m sure it was more than most other Republican Senators in the Senate. But I’m sure he voted with the Republicans far more than the Dems. I know that Scott Brown is no Jim DeMint. But we’re talking about being able to elect a Republican for Massachusetts. I, for one, would rather have that, than throwing away sure-fire Republican Senate seats with clowns like Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Richard Murdouck, and Todd Akin.
asc85 on December 17, 2012 at 5:27 PM
As much as I like Scott Brown, no. No, he can’t win a second bite of the apple. May as well run Mitt Romney if you want a candidate with the fresh stench of defeat.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on December 17, 2012 at 5:43 PM
As a MA resident, I think he definitely could win. The Warren campaign was a perfect storm against Brown in a lot of ways. Presidential year, Dems made it a target seat, and they got a Liberal hero to run against him.
However, running again carries major risks for Brown. The Special Election would be in June/July 2013 and then another election would take place in November of 2014. If he were to lose either race, he runs the risk of becoming irrelevant. There has been some speculation that he might run for Governor in 2014 instead. That makes more sense to me, as MA did have a Republican governor for 20 straight years before Deval Patrick.
The quote from Kerry’s old aide is wishful thinking. In PPP’s last poll before the election, they nailed the margin and had Brown with a 53/30 favorability rating. They said it was by the far the best rating they had seen for a losing candidate. He was a victim of the MA democrat machine, plain and simple. His nastiness with Warren did hurt him, but he’s still plenty likable enough to win another election here. It just remains to be seen what he chooses to run for.
RepublicanInMA on December 17, 2012 at 6:03 PM