It was a very busy week in the race for U.S. Senate. Things started to get heated as the candidates continue to race toward the April 30 primaries. We saw candidates lashing out at party backing, another facing an ethics complaint, new poll numbers, and more.
Let’s start with the Democrats this week.
Democratic candidates Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) and Edward Markey (D-Malden) will face off in a second debate Monday night in Lowell. If the news of the past week is any indication, it should make for an interesting back and forth between the candidates.
Lynch took aim at his party leaders last week for supporting Markey.
“They’ve basically said Markey’s our guy, don’t give to Lynch,” he told the Herald.
Markey Faces Ethics Complaint
Markey will face an ethics complaint from the Bay State Republican Party that alleges coordination between the U.S. Senate candidate’s campaign and congressional office and improper use of footage from Congress in TV ads, according to a report in the Boston Herald on Tuesday.
MassGOP Executive Director Nate Little told the Herald they believe Markey has been using taxpayer-funded resources from his congressional office for campaign purposes. The state GOP plans on filing a letter with the House Committee on Ethics on Tuesday, according to the Herald.
Latest Poll Shows Markey Ahead
Markey gained a sizeable lead over Lynch in a new poll by Public Policy Polling this week.
Yahoo News reported that the poll, conducted March 26-27, included 496 likely Democratic voters, giving Markey a 17-point lead over Lynch (49 to 32 percent). A February poll just after both declared their candidacy had Markey ahead of Lynch by 15 points (43 to 28 percent).
Like their potential Democratic opponents, Republicans in the race were also busy last week.
Sullivan Names New Campaign Strategist
Republican Senate candidate Michael Sullivan named Matt St. Hilaire of Beverly as senior campaign strategist. He’s also served in senior positions for the gubernatorial campaigns of Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and Charlie Baker, as well as Richard Tisei’s Congressional campaign in the 6th District.
What the Republican Candidates Earned
Republican candidate Gabriel Gomez recently reported his $ 727,000 salary from his private equity business. The information was included in Gomez’s financial disclosure form, according to an AP story on Masslive.com.
The article also stated that Sullivan reported earning more than $ 3.2 million between 2002 and 2001, as well as paying $ 890,000 in income taxes.
Also included was Republican candidate Dan Winslow’s reported earnings of $ 2.1 million between 2003 and 2011.
The primary is scheduled for April 30 with the special election to be held June 25.
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