Markey Leads Gomez in New Suffolk/WHDH Poll

Congressman leads Gabriel Gomez by 17 points.

A new Suffolk University/7NEWS (WHDH) poll shows a strong lead for Democratic U.S. Congressman Edward Markey over Republican businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez in the race for the U.S. Senate special election. The poll of 500 likely voters has Markey at 52 percent and Gomez at 35 percent. Eleven percent of voters in the poll were undecided. A third-party candidate, Richard Heos of the Twelve Visions Party, got 1 percent and another 1 percent refused to respond. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston, said along with the announcement of the poll that Markey has "a large lead over his Republican opponent who voters are unsure about." Indeed, 32 percent of those polled said …

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US Sen Primary Winners Markey, Gomez Carry Lexington

As was the case across the commonwealth, Congressman Ed Markey and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez were their parties' top vote-getters in Lexington during the special US Senate primary election held April 30.

Lexington voters, like their colleagues across Massachusetts, tabbed US Rep. Ed Markey and political newcomer Gabriel Gomez as the chosen ones to face off in the general election to fill US Senate seat John Kerry vacated earlier this year when he was appointed Secretary of State. Here's a by-the-numbers look at how Lexington voted: Total Turnout According to preliminary results provided Tuesday night by the Town Clerk's Office, nearly 6,000 of the town's 21,691 registered voters cast ballots in the April 30 primary, nearly tripling the turnout for last month's town election. Democratic Party More than 5,100 of the town's registered Democrats voted on Tuesday, the overwhelming majority of them supporting Congressman Ed Markey, Lexington's …

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US Senate Primary: Last Minute Rides and Study Guides

Patch and the local League of Women Voters have got you covered.

Six candidates -- three Demcorats and three Republicans -- will be facing off in tomorrow's special US Seate primary elections, the winners earning the right to square off in the general this June. And the winner there will fill the term of John Kerry, who vacated his seat after his appointment as Secretary of State. Patch editors interviewed each of the candidates, and you can find a roundup of those interviews here. The League of Women Voters has also put together a handy voters guide, which you can find here. And, per the ususal, the League of Women Voters of Lexington will be providing free rides to the polls for those in need. For a free ride to the polls on State Primary Election Day, Tuesday, April 30, or to volunteer to drive other…

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Lynch, Markey Debate Tonight in Lowell

The Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate meet in their second debate.

The combatants for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate special election will square off Monday night in Lowell for their second debate leading up to the April 30 primary. Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Malden) and Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) will participate in the debate being held at 7:30 p.m. at Durgin Hall on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The debate is sponsored by UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion and the Boston Herald. Questions for the debate will be posed by UMass Lowell students while the moderator will be reporter Jaclyn Cashman, according to the university. Markey and Lynch previously met for their first debate March 27 at the Channel 5 studios in Needham. The two candidates agreed to six…

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Lynch, Markey Hit the Road, Republicans Get Started

Nomination papers deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 27

With only days to go before nomination papers are due in the race for U.S. Senate, last week was a busy one for announced and potential candidates looking to fill the seat left vacant by John Kerry’s appointment to Secretary of State. The Republican field lost one prominent candidate, and another generated a bit of controversy. On the Democratic side, Congressmen Edward Markey, who represents Lexington, and Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) have been working through their pre-primary debate schedule and campaigning across the state. Democrats Markey and Lynch hit the road Both Democratic candidates hit the road again last week from Pittsfield to Salem, meeting with residents and attending fundraisers. Markey had campaign stops in Taunton, …

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Lexington Preps for Special Election Possibilities

The domino effect following former US Sen. John Kerry’s appointment as Secretary of State conceivably could trickle all the way down to the local level, according to Town Clerk Donna Hooper.

Lexington’s annual Town Elections are less than three weeks away, but planning for the polls won’t stop there. No, Town Clerk Donna Hooper and her team will be preparing for at least one special election (plus primary) as Massachusetts looks to replace longtime U.S. Sen. John Kerry, following his appointment as Secretary of State. “These specials do pop up, and we saw this one coming to some degree,” said Hooper. “However, they clearly do throw us a curveball.” First up will be the town election, scheduled for Monday, March 4. With only on contested race for an elected seat—on the Planning Board—Hooper says there has not been a lot of interested the local election – yet. But that could change following after tonight, what with the League …

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Tagg Romney Not Running for U.S. Senate

Republicans still searching for a candidate to run for Kerry's seat.

Tisei Weighing U.S. Senate Run

The former state senator's announcement came on Friday after Scott Brown said he would not run in the U.S. Senate race.

  Former Mass. Senate Republican Leader Richard Tisei says he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat recently vacated by John Kerry after the long-time senator was appointed Secretary of State earlier this week. “In the coming days, I will be talking with family, friends, and supporters to consider the best role that I can play in helping to bring new, alternative leadership to Washington,” Tisei said in a statement released Friday. Tisei, who previously ran for lieutenant governor and Congress, said he was shocked to see former Sen. Scott Brown announce he would not be running for the seat. "The news that Scott won't be running again came as a surprise to me, as to many others," Tisei said in the statement. "I've known him for many…

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UPDATE: Markey Responds to Brown's Residency Question

Scott Brown has questioned Ed Markey's Massachusetts residency, according to reports, firing an early salvo in what could be the Senate special election showdown.

Updated at 7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2: In response to this story, Giselle Barry, a spokesperson for US Rep. Ed Markey, sent Patch this statement: "Scott Brown has not yet announced that he is running for Senate, but he is already launching false, personal attacks from the sidelines. Ed Markey lives in Malden, and has lived there his entire life. He and his wife own their home in Malden. He is proud to come from and represent the values of the people of Malden. This campaign should be about what matters most to the people of Massachusetts: jobs, education, health care and the environment." Originally posted at 3 p.m. In a radio interview Wednesday morning, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) jabbed at Democratic Congressman Edward Markey …

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UPDATED: Special Election: Turnout Lower Than Expected; Results Expected By 9 p.m.

Precinct wardens around Lexington report a slower-than-expected turnout well into today's special election seeking to finance through a debt exclusion projects to rebuild Estabrook Elementary and renovate the Bridge and Bowman schools.

With just minutes remaining before the polls close in Lexington, many around town are wondering whether the lower-than-expected voter turnout will bode well for the debt exclusion requests that went before the voters in today's special election. According to Town Clerk Donna Hooper, the expectation as of about 7 p.m., an hour before the polls close, was for about 30 percent voter participation and results to be posted online by 9p.m. tonight. At the Bridge and Bowman elementary schools, precincts 4 and 2 respectively, voter turnout ticked toward 25 percent during the early evening, a time many expected activity to pick up as people returned from work. But at Bridge, the handful of folks casting ballots at about 6:30 p.m. was the closest …

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