The Green Papers: Massachusetts 2009 General Election
This page is for offices up for election in 2009. Find 2010 elections here.
 
Flag images courtesy of The World Flag Database. Copyright http://www.flags.net/ Massachusetts
Elections for Statewide offices and Congress
Special Primary Senate Class 1: Tuesday 8 December 2009
Electoral Votes:12(2.23% of 538)
Governor:1 
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 1 and 2)
2002-2010 Representatives:10(2.30% of 435)
2000 Census:6,355,568 (2.25% of 281,998,273)
Estimated Voting age population (November 2000):4,749,000
Registered Voters (November 2000):4,008,796
Capital:Boston
Tuesday 8 December 2009 polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC). By local option, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m.
 

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Massachusetts State and Local Government


The state legislators who will meet over the two years from 2009 through 2010 will make up the 186th GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS.


In 2004, the General Court (state Legislature), controlled by Democrats, changed the state law to require a special election to fill a vacant U.S. Senate Seat. The political implication was to prevent then Governor Mitt Romney (Republican) from appointing a successor to U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (Democrat) if Senator Kerry had won the Presidency. Prior to the change, the Governor appointed a successor-- there was no election.

Massachusetts law requires a special election to fill a vacant Senate Seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs. The Governor cannot appoint a successor.

Following the 25 August 2009 passing of Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (Democrat), the General Court passed "House No. 4246 - Relative to filling a temporary vacancy in the United State Senate" to allow Governor Deval L. Patrick (Democrat) to appoint a temporary Senator (of the same party as Senator Kennedy) to serve until the special election.

  • 17 September 2009: state House: 95 YEAS to 59 NAYS
  • 22 September 2009: state Senate: 24 YEAS to 16 NAYS
  • 23 September 2009: state House: Enacted - 95 YEAS to 59 NAYS. State Senate: Enacted - 24 YEAS to 16 NAYS. The bill would go into effect in 90 days after the Governor's signature.
  • 23 September 2009: Laid before the Governor.
  • 24 September 2009: Paul G. Kirk, Jr. (Democrat) appointed by Massachusetss Governor Deval L. Patrick (Democrat). After signing the bill into law, the governor sent a letter to Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin declaring this an emergency law so it would take effect immediately. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27559.html#ixzz0S4oviPeH

In addition, the state House passed Resolution No.4248 "expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a temporarily appointed United States Senator should not be a candidate in the ensuing special election".

Text of the new law:

SECTION 1. Section 140 of chapter 54 - (f) ... upon a vacancy ... the governor shall make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy; provided, however, that the person so appointed shall serve until the election ... to fill the vacancy ...
 
           

U.S. Senate  6 year term. No Term Limit. 111th Senate  Senate Electoral Classes

Class 1 Democratic Senator Paul G. Kirk, Jr.
Appointed 24 September 2009 by Governor Deval L. Patrick to fill the vacancy caused by the 25 August 2009 passing of Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (Democrat). Sworn 25 September 2009.
Seat up for election: Tuesday 19 January 2010
Open Seat - Senator Kirk will not run for election to this office.
Special Primary to fill the seat: Tuesday 8 December 2009
Special Election: Tuesday 19 January 2010
Next regular election: Tuesday 6 November 2012
    Democratic     Congressman Michael E. Capuano - lost primary
Received 28% in the 8 December 2009 primary

FEC H8MA08071: Financial report not available
  Candidate Democratic     Attorney General Martha Coakley
Received 47% in the 8 December 2009 primary

FEC S0MA00075: $5,236,955
    Democratic     Alan A. Khazei - lost primary
Received 13% in the 8 December 2009 primary

FEC S0MA00091: $2,305,120
    Democratic     Stephen G. Pagluica - lost primary
Received 12% in the 8 December 2009 primary
  Candidate Republican     state Senator Scott P. Brown
Received 89% in the 8 December 2009 primary

FEC S0MA00109: $1,220,077
    Republican     Jack E. Robinson - lost primary
Received 11% in the 8 December 2009 primary

FEC S0MA00042: $328,521
  Candidate Independent; (Libertarian; Boston Tea)     Joseph L. "Joe" Kennedy
FEC S0MA00141: $28,046
  

On 25 August 2009, Senator Kennedy passed away from brain cancer at the age of 77.

Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was first elected to finish out the term in a Special Election in 1962 [held to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator John F. Kennedy (Democrat) on 22 December 1960- which Benjamin A. Smith II (Democrat) had been appointed by Governor Foster Furcolo (Democrat) to fill, 27 December 1960]; he was elected to first full term in 1964; and re-elected in 1970, 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006.

Upon the passing of Senator Kennedy, MASSACHUSETTS State law did not permit the Governor of the Commonwealth to appoint an interim successor when a vacancy in the United States Senate has occurred; instead, a Special Election for the remainder of the current term (the Class 1 seat would otherwise next be up for election in November 2012 and, therefore, the current term ends at Noon Eastern Standard Time on 3 January 2013) must be held no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after a vacancy has occurred.

On 23 September 2009, the General Court (state Legislature) changed the law to allow the Governor to appoint a temporary Senator who would serve until the Special Election.

Tuesday 8 December 2009 Primary returns from a official source.


Class 2 Democratic Senator John F. Kerry
First elected: 1984; re-elected: 1990, 1996, 2002, 2008
Seat up for election: Tuesday 4 November 2014

Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010. Term Limit: None, All Governors

  Democratic Governor Deval L. Patrick
First elected: 2006
Chair up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

Lieutenant Governor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010. Elected on a ticket with (but nominated separately from) the Governor

  Democratic Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. "Tim" Murray
First elected: 2006
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

111th U.S. House of Representatives  2 year term, Election Cycle 2006, 2008. No Term Limit. 111th House
Partisan Composition (primary disposition):
10 Democratic (10 Undetermined)

CD 1
{map}
Democratic Congressman John Walter Olver
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 2
{map}
Democratic Congressman Richard E. Neal
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 3
{map}
Democratic Congressman James P. "Jim" McGovern
First elected: 1996
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 4
{map}
Democratic Congressman Barney Frank
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 5
{map}
Democratic Congressman Nicola S. "Niki" Tsongas
First elected in a 16 October 2007 Special Election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Democratic Congressman Marty Meehan.
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 6
{map}
Democratic Congressman John F. Tierney
First elected: 1996
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 7
{map}
Democratic Congressman Edward J. "Ed" Markey
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

CD 8
{map}
Democratic Congressman Michael E. "Mike" Capuano
First elected: 1998
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010
8 September 2009: Announced his candidacy for the Class 1 Senate Seat. 8 December 2009: Lost the Class 1 Senate Seat Special Primary.

CD 9
{map}
Democratic Congressman Stephen F. Lynch
First elected 16 October 2001 in a special election, re: the death of J. Joseph Moakley 28 May 2001.
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010
1 September 2009: Possible candidate for the Special Election for the Class 1 Senate Seat
15 September 2009: Annnounced he will not run for former Senator Kennedy's seat in 2009: [the] "challenge of putting together the resources and organization necessary to wage a competitive statewide campaign in less than 90 days is insurmountable."

CD 10
{map}
Democratic Congressman William D. "Bill" Delahunt
First elected: 1996
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

Secretary of the Commonwealth  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010

  Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis "Bill" Galvin
First elected: 1994; re-elected: 1998, 2002, 2006
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010

Attorney General  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010

  Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley
First elected: 2006
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010
8 December 2009: Won the Democratic nomination for the Special Election for the Class 1 Senate Seat

Treasurer and Receiver-General  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010

  Independent; (Democratic) Treasurer and Receiver-General Timothy P. "Tim" Cahill
First elected as a Democrat: 2002; re-elected: 2006
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010
Open Seat - 7 July 2009: Possible candidate for Governor in 2010. Announced he will be leaving the Democratic Party and declare himself "unenrolled".
8 July 2009: Registered as an Independent.
9 September 2009: Announced that he is running for Governor.

Auditor  4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010

  Democratic Auditor A. Joseph "Joe" DeNucci
First elected: 1986; re-elected: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
Seat up for election: Tuesday 2 November 2010
Open Seat - Retiring at the end of his term

Political Parties    Parties appear in parenthesis and italics when a candidate receives the endorsement of a given Party and/or official sources indicate a candidate's association with a particular Party but only where the Party in question does not appear on the actual ballot as such.

Major Parties
  Democratic (affiliates): 18 incumbents, 1 candidate
  Republican: 1 candidate
Major Third Parties
  Libertarian: 1 candidate
Other Third Parties
  Boston Tea: 1 candidate
Independents
  Independent: 1 incumbent, 1 candidate
 
Candidates running under the banner of more than one party are counted towards each party's total. A candidate who has lost a primary or is apparently no longer a candidate is not counted.

Notes

Candidates for office appear on this page in italics where 'The Green Papers' does not yet have independent confirmation from a legal election authority that the person has been officially certified to appear on the ballot.
 
FEC indicates the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Campaign Finance Summary "Total Receipts" for candidates for Federal Office.

 


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