Outside the Beltway

Scott Brown Not Running For Senate

Doug Mataconis · Friday, February 1, 2013 · 6 comments

In the month since Scott Brown left office after being defeated by Elizabeth Warren, there’s been much speculation about whether or not he would enter the race to fill the seat being vacated by John Kerry now that he’s been confirmed as Secretary of State. Indeed, some recent polls had Brown holding a lead over Congressman Ed Markey, the likely Democratic nominee. Today, though, we learned that Brown will not be taking another run at the Senate:

Former Massachusetts Republican senator Scott Brown will not run in the special election for outgoing Democratic Sen. John Kerry’s seat, according to a Republican source familiar with his plans. Brown’s decision means Kerry’s seat is very likely to remain in Democratic hands. Republicans are now without a top candidate for the seat held by Kerry, who was confirmed by the Senate to be the next secretary of state earlier this week. On the Democratic side, longtime Rep. Ed Markey is the frontrunner, but he faces a challenge from fellow Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch, who is much more conservative. With Brown out of the picture, Republicans may turn to Richard Tisei, the former state senator who narrowly lost to Rep. John Tierney (D) in 2012. Tisei didn’t rule out a  run in a recent interview with The Hill. Former governor William Weld is another Republican to keep an eye on. Tisei could be an attractive option for the GOP as an outside-the-box candidate. He is openly gay and pro-abortion rights and proved to be a strong fundraiser last year. “It’s definitely, at this point, an option that I’m looking seriously at,” Tisei told The Hill, noting that he could also seek a rematch with the embattled Tierney. Weld, who recently returned to Boston from New York, told the Boston Globe in December that he didn’t think he would run for the seat, but he didn’t quite rule it out either. He ran for Senate before, losing a competitive race with Kerry in 1996. He also ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York in 2006.

Weld would probably be the best candidate to give the GOP a chance at picking up the seat, but Tisei could end up being another moderate Republican like Brown that ends up grabbing the seat. His big problem, of course, will be the fact that he lacks the name recognition of either Brown or Weld. As for Brown, there has been speculation over the past month that he may be more interested in running for Governor in 2014. Since Deval Patrick is term limited not running for re-election he will have an open field and Massachusetts does have a history of electing Republican Governors going all the way back to Weld himself.