Today’s primary Senate election will determine which Republican and which Democrat will progress to the special election for the seat the late Sen. Edward Kennedy left vacant, and the six candidates ‘- four Democrats and two Republicans ‘- from all walks of public life have been gearing up in hard-fought campaigns to fill Kennedy’s large shoes.
Of the four Democratic candidates, Attorney General Martha Coakley has been the front-runner in the polls, followed by U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Somerville. Coakley, accused by some of being too cold, seems to have loosened up in recent debates as her popularity remains steady.
In a Nov. 23 Rasmussen poll, Coakley had the support of 36 percent of a sample group of likely Democratic primary voters, while Capuano had 21 percent. If Coakley wins, she will be Massachusetts’ first female senator, just as she was the state’s first female attorney general.
Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of the Boston Celtics, entered the race with a background in business. Alan Khazei, co-founder of the nonprofit City Year, has been working as a social entrepreneur for 20 years. In Rasmussen poll, each had 14 percent of the surveyed voters’ support. Another 10 percent said they were unsure.
Khazei’s political experience comes from the public service he has been involved in, spokesman David Jacobson said.
‘[City Year] is actually the model that inspired AmeriCorps, so Alan actually worked with the Bush administration and helped put together AmeriCorps,’ Jacobson said. ‘So he has experience in Washington, of bringing people together to create change and get things done.’
Pagliuca has been an aggressive contender, continuously attacking Capuano and Coakley on the issue of health care. He also released a campaign advertisement on Thanksgiving accusing Coakley and Capuano of being obstacles to the health care bill’s passing.
‘[Pagliuca] is the only reliable 60th vote for health care reform,’ Victoria Bonney, Pagliuca’s spokeswoman, said. ‘The ad couldn’t be more fact-based or rooted in reality than it is.’
Coakley and Capuano have said they would vote against the health care bill only if it includes new restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion.
Coakley’s spokeswoman Alex Zaroulis said via email that Pagliuca’s claims were false and Coakley has committed herself to passing some form of the bill.
‘Martha Coakley is a supporter of health care reform with a public option and has said that she will vote for the Senate bill that would increase access to quality, affordable health care for all Americans,’ Zaroulis said. ‘It’s unfortunate that Steve Pagliuca would choose to run a misleading, negative ad that misrepresents Martha Coakley’s position on health care.’
Capuano, whose spokesman was not available for comment at press time, says on his campaign website that he hopes to provide universal health care. As a congressman, he founded the bipartisan House Caucus on Community Health Centers.
‘Health care reform must achieve universal access and it must not adversely impact residents and health care providers in Massachusetts,’ his website states.
Khazei says on his campaign website he also wants to pass health care insurance reform that would ensure all Americans have access to health care.
Republican candidate Jack Robinson III, who has run unsuccessfully for several offices including the Senate and the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Commonwealth, plans to enact a ’12-Point Plan for Health Care Reform’ that provides truly universal health care, which his campaign website claims Democratic health care plans cannot provide.
‘Repeal Pelosi’s health care bill before it destroys America,’ his website states.
Republican Scott Brown, a state senator representing Wrentham, wishes to make health care more accessible by strengthening the current system, according to his campaign website. His spokesman was not available for comment at press time.
‘I believe that all Americans deserve health care coverage, but that we shouldn’t have to create a new government insurance program to provide it,’ Brown’s website states.
Health care reform is the most pressing issue to voters, according to a November Boston Globe poll of likely Democratic primary voters.
Job creation has been another focus of the race. Each candidate promises to create new economic opportunities, but they differ in their methods.
While Capuano and Coakley have repeatedly cited efforts toward stimulus made in their current offices, Pagliuca is proposing a Job-Focused Tax Reform and a Financial Regulatory Reform plan, according to his campaign website. He has 25 years of experience building business, his spokeswoman Bonney said, that enable him to create jobs.
‘Steve is really focusing his plan on how he can help these people to get the job, in biotech, clean tech and other vital industries that will never go away from Massachusetts,’ she said.
Khazei plans to stimulate the economy by releasing more money into the economy that can be used for job growth.
‘Alan, as a candidate, has put out thoughtful and comprehensive plans on various issues, most recently proposing a plan for a second stimulus package that is focused on jobs,’ his spokesman Jacobson said.
Both Brown and Robinson wish to lower taxes, under the assumption that when individuals have more money, they will put more into the economy. According to their campaign websites, businesses will be able to create more jobs as tax cuts result in increased income.
Each candidate has campaigned with the legacy of Kennedy, a member of one of America’s most well-known American political dynasties, in mind. Kennedy left impressive credentials, including a long crusade for health care that continued into the Obama administration, and candidates, including the Republicans, have often invoked his name and drawn parallels from themselves to him.
Today’s primary will advance a Democrat and a Republican to the Jan. 19 special election. The winning candidate will serve as Massachusetts senator alongside incumbent Democrat John Kerry.
Look for the primary election results in The Daily Free Press tomorrow.
Staff writer Yue Huang contributed reporting to this article.
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