The 2013 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was held on June 25, 2013, in order to fill the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Class 2 United States Senate seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2015. The vacancy that prompted the special election was created by the resignation of Senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

, in order to become

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

. On January 30, 2013,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Deval Patrick chose his former chief of staff, Mo Cowan, to serve as interim U.S. Senator. Cowan declined to participate in the election. A party primary election was held on April 30, to determinate the nominees of each party for the general election. The

Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

nominated U.S. Representative

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...

, while the

Massachusetts Republicans Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

nominated Gabriel E. Gomez, a businessman and former

Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting s ...

. The race drew remarks from the media, because of its potential similarity to the 2010 special election, when Republican state senator Scott Brown upset the Democratic nominee,

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

Martha Coakley. However, Gomez trailed Markey in every opinion poll taken, and Markey defeated him by a 10.2 percentage point margin, despite low turnout.

Background

The incumbent senator,

( Democratic), was nominated to serve as

by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

on December 21, 2012. He was confirmed by the Senate on January 29, 2013, and in a letter to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Kerry announced his resignation from the Senate, effective February 1. Kerry was sworn in as secretary of state on the same day. Patrick's former chief of staff, Mo Cowan, was appointed to replace Kerry in the Senate on the same day, and immediately ruled himself out of the special election. The special primary elections took place on April 30. Democratic U.S. Representative

and Republican businessman Gabriel E. Gomez won their respective primaries.

Democratic primary

U.S. Representatives Ed Markey and Stephen F. Lynch both announced campaigns for the open seat. Markey was perceived as more

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

than Lynch.

Candidates

* Stephen F. Lynch, U.S. representative from

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...

, U.S. representative from Malden

Declined

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

, actor * Michael Capuano, U.S. representative, 2010 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate * Martha Coakley,

Attorney General of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder al ...

and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2010 * Mo Cowan, appointed incumbent U.S. senator *

Benjamin Downing Benjamin Brackett Downing (born September 11, 1981) is an American politician and Democratic former member of the Massachusetts State Senate. He represented the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district from 2007 to 2013, before being redistr ...

, state senator * Kimberly Driscoll, mayor of Salem *

Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...

, former U.S. representative * Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., entrepreneur, investment banker, lawyer, and son of senator

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

Victoria Reggie Kennedy Victoria Anne Kennedy (née Reggie; born February 26, 1954) is an American diplomat, attorney and activist who has served as the United States Ambassador to Austria since 2022. She is the widow and the second wife of longtime U.S. Senator Ted K ...

, widow of senator Ted Kennedy * Gerard Leone, Middlesex County District Attorney * Jim McGovern, U.S. representative * Marty Meehan, chancellor of the

University of Massachusetts, Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public u ...

and former U.S. Representative *

Carmen Ortiz Carmen Milagros Ortiz (born January 5, 1956) is an attorney, college instructor, and former United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. In 2009, she was nominated to the position by President Barack Obama. Ortiz was both the first ...

, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts * Deval Patrick,

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

* Jonah Pesner,

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

* Niki Tsongas, U.S. representative and widow of senator Paul Tsongas

Debates

Complete video of debate
March 27, 2013 - C-SPAN
Complete video of debate
April 22, 2013 - C-SPAN

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

* Gabriel E. Gomez, businessman and former

* Michael J. Sullivan, former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Massachusetts and former Acting Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives *

Daniel Winslow Daniel B. Winslow (born May 13, 1958) is an American lawyer, Republican Party politician, and former Presiding Justice of the Wrentham District Court. He was the state Representative for the Ninth Norfolk district from January 2011 to Septemb ...

, State Representative

Withdrawn

* Sean Bielat, nominee for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district in 2010 and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

* Jon Fetherston, former Ashland Selectman

Declined

* Keith Ablow, psychiatrist and

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

contributor *

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...

, former state cabinet secretary and nominee for

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

in 2010 * Scott Brown, former U.S. Senator * Lew Evangelidis, sheriff of Worcester County * Kerry Healey, former lieutenant governor and nominee for governor in 2006 *

Joe Malone Maurice Joseph Malone (February 28, 1890 – May 15, 1969) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey League (NHL) for the Quebec Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens, and Hamilto ...

, former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts *

Ann Romney Ann Lois Romney ( Davies; born April 16, 1949) is an American author and philanthropist. She is the wife of businessman and politician, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. From 2003 to 2007, Romney was First Lady of Massachusetts, while her husband se ...

, former First Lady of Massachusetts * Tagg Romney, businessman and son of former Governor Mitt Romney * Jane Swift, former lieutenant governor and

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

* Bruce Tarr,

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

Minority Leader * Richard Tisei, former State Senate Minority Leader * William Weld, former

and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996

Debates

Complete video of debate
March 27, 2013 - C-SPAN

Endorsements

Polling

Results

General election

Candidates

* Gabriel E. Gomez (

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

), businessman and former Navy SEAL * Richard A. Heos (Twelve Visions Party) *

( Democratic), U.S. Representative from

Massachusetts's 5th congressional district Massachusetts's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in eastern Massachusetts. The district is represented by Katherine Clark. Massachusetts congressional redistricting after the 2010 census has changed the borders of the distr ...

Withdrawn

* Daniel Fishman ( Libertarian), former teacher and nominee for

Massachusetts's 6th congressional district Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann, as well as part of Middlesex County. It is represented by Seth Moulton, who has rep ...

* Jack E. Robinson III (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

), businessman and perennial Republican candidate

Debates

Complete video of debate
June 5, 2013 - C-SPAN
Complete video of debate
June 18, 2013 - C-SPAN

Fundraising

Top contributors

Top industries

Polling

;With Markey ;With Lynch ;With Brown ;With Weld

Results

References

External links

Gabriel Gomez for U.S. Senate

Stephen Lynch for Senate

Ed Markey for Senate

Michael Sullivan for Senate

Daniel Winslow for Senate

Campaign finance
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...

Collected news and commentary
at ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

''
Collected news and commentary
at the '' Boston Herald'' {{Massachusetts elections

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Massachusetts 2013 Massachusetts 2013 United States Senate 2013