Ed Markey Beats Gabriel Gomez In ... - Business Insider

REUTERS/Jason Reed

Longtime Rep. Ed Markey (D) prevailed easily over ex-Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez (R) in a low-turnout special election to fill Massachusetts' vacant Senate seat.?

With 99% of precincts reporting, Markey garnered?54.9% of the vote to Gomez's 44.7%, a result that nearly mirrored the average of pre-election polling.

"Thank you Massachusetts! I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve you in the United States Senate," Markey said in a statement.

Turnout was low. The Boston Globe reported?that less than 20% of voters in Boston voted. The number of voters was half of what it was in the 2010 special election, when Republican Scott Brown pulled an upset over Martha Coakley.

Markey's win ensures the same Senate balance of 52 Democrats and 46 Republicans, plus 2 independents who caucus with the Democrats.?

President Barack Obama hailed Markey's win in a statement late Tuesday night.?

"During more than 36 years as a Congressman, Ed has distinguished himself as a leader on many of the key challenges of our time ? from fighting carbon pollution to protecting our children from gun violence to creating good, middle-class jobs," Obama said.

"He?s earned a reputation as an effective, creative legislator, willing to partner with colleagues across the aisle to make progress on the issues that matter most. The people of Massachusetts can be proud that they have another strong leader fighting for them in the Senate, and people across the country will benefit from Ed?s talent and integrity."

A Democratic National Committee official cited a few key reasons the party believed Markey had avoided a similar fate as Coakley.

From the official:

• Deployed 17 full-time staff, most of whom were veterans of the Obama 2012 campaign who worked on Communications, Rapid Response, Research, Field and GOTV;
• Spent or raised $300,000 directly for the campaign;
• Coordinated a surrogate operation that included DNC Chair Wasserman Schultz and a dozen other national surrogates participating in Markey Campaign activities;
• Built two predictive voter models to gauge support for Markey and turnout, applying the lessons learned from the Obama Campaign?s 2012 innovative modeling efforts;
• Sent an email from President Obama to his supporters in Massachusetts in support of Markey;
• Utilized DNC social media assets and the DNC email list to fundraise and recruit volunteers;
• Provided other GOTV expertise and assets, including an online call tool that allowed volunteers to call from home or from other states.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/ed-markey-wins-gabriel-gomez-massachusetts-senate-election-results-2013-6

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