Hampshire Gazette Endorses Mike

The Hampshire Gazette has endorsed Mike Capuano for U.S. Senate! Read the endorsement here.

In Our Opinion: Into Kennedy's shadow
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
12/04/2009

In January, Massachusetts voters will elect the state's first new U.S. senator in 25 years, replacing Edward M. Kennedy, who died in office in August.

The most important vote in that election may well be the party primaries next Tuesday to narrow the field of four Democrats and two Republicans.

Given the political makeup of the Bay State, the winner of the Democratic primary is likely to be our next senator, barring a surprising turn of events.

The Democrats are U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, City Year Founder Alan Khazei and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca. Competing in the Republican primary are state Sen. Scott Brown of Wrentham and Duxbury attorney Jack E. Robinson.

Despite the claims of some to be heirs to the liberal Kennedy legacy, there is no Kennedy in this race. Comparisons like that are self-serving and misleading.

The next senator will be the junior member of the legislative body. It will be years before he or she will have anywhere near the clout and stature Kennedy earned in his 47 years on Capitol Hill. Rather than try to fill Kennedy's shoes, it is better that voters pick a senator with strong character, an independent thinker who can champion the causes of working people, use political skills toget things done and grow into the job.

Among the Democrats, we believe U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano best fits the bill. Among the Republicans, state Sen. Scott Brown is the best-qualified candidate.

The Democrats

As a former mayor of Somerville and six-term Democratic congressman, Capuano has shown a concern with issues that people care about. He talks about his working-class roots and his votes reflect it.

Capuano is a progressive on national political issues, opposing the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act. He supports abortion rights and gay marriage and opposes the death penalty. Colleagues in Congress say you always know where he stands and they describe him as a tough fighter for things he believes in. He pressed for passage of a national highway tunnel inspection program after the Big Dig ceiling collapse.

Capuano is also someone who knows how Congress works. He was tapped by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to head up the effort to reform ethics laws. A big part of his pitch: knowing how Congress works gives him a better chance to deliver more for Massachusetts than his rivals. We think that makes sense and we also think that Capuano is best suited to carry on the legislative battles Kennedy was most engaged with, especially health-care reform.

The other strong candidate among Democrats is Martha Coakley. We admire her work in law enforcement, both as Middlesex County district attorney and for the last two years as state attorney general. Her roots in the northern Berkshires are appealing and it would be good to see another woman in the U.S. Senate. Coakley lacks legislative experience, however, and while she is passionate about her work in law enforcement, we do not see enough engagement with other important policy matters.

Posted on December 03, 2009 by Capuano for Senate Campaign