After nearly 40 years in the House of Representatives, Democrat Ed Markey has deservedly won the open Massachusetts Senate seat against Republican opponent Gabriel Gomez.
After the state elected Republican Scott Brown to the Senate in 2010, the New England state has apparently returned to its Democratic roots, as Politico points out, despite Gomez’s desperate efforts. Forty-seven-year-old Gomez, a private equity executive and former Navy Seal, has never held an elective office.
Markey, 66, will fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s empty seat, reports the New York Times. Markey is also a solid supporter of President Obama’s agenda.
The newly-elected Senator tweeted on his campaign page, “Thank you Massachusetts! I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve you in the United States Senate,” according to Reuters.
“The Senate needs to be controlled by Democrats,” said one voter named Pam Wechsler, 52, a prosecutor.
Though this election does not change the current party counts in the Senate—Dems have 54 while Republicans have 46—the liberal party did lose one seat when Senator Frank Lautenberg died and was replaced by an interim Republican.
Markey, first elected to the House in 1976, serves as a ranking member of the National Resources Committee and feels strongly about issues such as the environment.