Setti Warren considering run against Scott Brown

[MBS]

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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/newton/2011/02/newton_mayor_setti_warren_eyes.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:extra

NEWTON
Newton Mayor Setti Warren eyes US Senate run against Scott Brown
Posted by Your Town February 28, 2011 06:41 PM
Globe Staff

Newton Mayor Setti Warren today acknowledged he is considering a run for the US Senate, after Governor Deval Patrick told an out of town political reporter that Warren and two other Massachusetts Democrats "are in, for sure.''

After spending weeks insisting he was focused on his job as mayor of Newton, Warren issued a statement saying he was considering a run against US Senator Scott Brown, a first-term Republican.

“I’m honored that my friend Governor Patrick has mentioned me as a possible candidate for U.S. Senate. I am considering a run against Senator Brown,'' Warren said in a statement. "I have been disappointed by many of his votes, which I believe have hurt many cities and towns in Massachusetts, including my own community of Newton.''

"I’m not yet ready to announce an official decision on entering the race. But in the final analysis, if I believe I can do a better job for Massachusetts, I’ll put my name on the ballot.”

Warren has been in office little more than a year. He has previously said he was focused on his job as mayor of Newton, even as speculation continued that he was a potential Senate candidate.

But governor Patrick, in an interview with National Journal, said he has spoken with four potential candidates -- City Year founder Alan Khazei, Democratic activist Robert Massie, Newton Mayor Setti Warren, and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, the National Journal reported today.

“Kim is not in; she has not made up her mind, but I know she’s thinking about it seriously. But Alan and Bob and Setti are in, for sure,” Patrick told National Journal.

Patrick also said that Robert Pozen, a former aide to Governor Mitt Romney, had been trying to get in touch.

“I haven’t talked to Bob. We’ve traded phone calls, but I haven’t talked to him,” the governor said.

Patrick said US Representative Michael Capuano, another potential candidate against Brown, had not shown his hand.

Original article from National Journal (interview with Patrick, touches on other issues as well):
http://nationaljournal.com/politics/deval-patrick-surrogate-for-obama-scourge-to-mitt-romney-and-scott-brown-20110228

[karynnj]

1. This is interesting

Brown will likely be very hard to beat. He has positioned himself incredibly well. One new thing is Obama backing Wyden's proposal that changes the date from 2017 to 2014 for a state opting out of the 2010 HCR if they have a way to achieve the same goals.

I wonder how Brown co-sponsoring Wyden's bill, which the right hates, but which could be great for VT and other states, like MA, will impact Brown's favorability. (I know the concern of some is who will define if the requirements are met in 2014, when there is no benchmark with the mandate in place, but it would seem that that could be defined in some reasonable way - and if it were Kerry, we would be calling it the gateway to single payer - as many in VT are.) If that actually passes, could it hurt Brown with the right enough to lead to a primary challenge?

Setti Warren might be able to beat Brown on his own "turf" - as he is very engaging and is really more "of the people" than Brown - and his service in Iraq might make it impossible for the MA media to completely blow up Brown's national guard service - ending comments like having been "in the military" for 30 years.

[Mass]

4. Brown is in a tough spot. He must please the moderate electorate of MA without getting primaried

by the Tea Party. It is way too early to say that he will be hard to beat, and I wished people stopped with that (not you, people in general), because it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. And framkly. if Democrats (including president Obama) could stop propping him, it would be so nice.......... Somebody will have to run against him next year.

Right now, the best thing we can hope is that Brown positions himself as a centrist and gets primaried. This way, he will be busy fighting his own primary to the right while the Democratic primary happens. Given that the primary is in September, it does not give a lot of time to the Dems to go back to the center. Let's make sure Brown has the same handicap.

[Luftmensch067]

2. I cheered when I heard this!

Go, Setti! :-)

[Mass]

3. It would be great. We need somebody new. As for Pozen, thanks, but no thanks.

I like Khazei, but he would have to have improved a lot since last year to be a good candidate, and I do not know anything about Kim Driscoll.

This said, they are all from the Eastern part of the state, and these races are often won in the Western part of the state. I have no idea how any of them would play in Springfield or Worcester.

[Blaukraut]

5. I could definitely get behind Setti. His credentials are excellent n/t

[Blaukraut]

6. Channel 5 reporting on this right now. 30 second blurb n/t

[beachmom]

7. Oh, that would be nice!

[politicasista]

8. Sounds good

He would be a good candidate.

Hopefully, the people of MA and MA media will focus on what he can/will do for the state, and stay out of his personal life (interracial marriage).

[Mass]

9. Just in case you wonder who Glenn Johnson's favors, you can read this article,

It is bashing Kerry and Warren in a totally fact less article. Interestingly, his major objection to Warren seems to be the color of his skin. So nice to live in a liberal state.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2011/03/potential_senat.html