Patch Interviews U.S. Senate Candidates

Markey, Lynch, Sullivan, Winslow, Gomes - what did they say when faced with tough questions?

Lynch, Markey Debate Health Care, Outside Funding

Candidates for U.S. Senate Democratic nomination squared off in Lowell Monday.

  U.S. Congressmen Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey met in their second debate Monday ahead of the Democratic U.S. Senate special primary in a contest that contained few fireworks outside of an exchange on health care. The debate, held at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and sponsored by the college and the Boston Herald, lasted about 45 minutes and touched a wide variety of issues on which the two Democrats mostly agreed. An early question was asked about the candidates' positions on the Affordable Care Act. Markey (D-Malden) voted in favor of the bill that passed in 2010 while Lynch (D-South Boston) was one of few Democrats who opposed it. Markey said voting for the bill was the "proudest vote of my Congressional career." He said …

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Lynch, Markey Debate Tonight in Lowell

The Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate meet in their second debate.

The combatants for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate special election will square off Monday night in Lowell for their second debate leading up to the April 30 primary. Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Malden) and Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) will participate in the debate being held at 7:30 p.m. at Durgin Hall on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The debate is being sponsored by UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion and the Boston Herald. Questions for the debate will be posed by UMass Lowell students while the moderator will be reporter Jaclyn Cashman, according to the university. Markey and Lynch previously met for their first debate March 27 at the Channel 5 studios in Needham. The two candidates agreed…

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GOP Candidates Meet Face to Face, Dems Ready to Debate

A look back at what happened over the past week in the U.S. Senate race.

Over the past week, Republican candidates in the race for U.S. Senate met face to face for the first time to talk issues and make themselves known in the race for U.S. Senate, while their Democratic counterparts launched their first TV ads. State Rep. Dan Winslow of Norfolk, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez took part in the first GOP debate last Tuesday night at Stonehill College in Easton. In the hour-long debate, the candidates discussed a wide-range of issues including: Roe vs. Wade, gun control, immigration, social security and issues affecting the economy. Unlike their Democratic counterparts, the three candidates disagreed on little, with a common theme centered on the need to fix the …

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Polls Give Markey Double Digit Lead in Senate Race

A look back at the highlights as candidates campaign for U.S. Senate.

Two polls last week show double digit leads for U.S. Rep. Edward Markey over his Democratic opponent U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch in the race for U.S. Senate. Results of a UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll last week showed Markey (D-Malden) leads Lynch (D-South Boston) by 29.5 percentage points among potential Democratic primary voters. The poll also shows Markey is leading over all three Republican candidates.  Fifty percent of those polled said they would vote for Markey, while 20.5 percent said Lynch, giving Markey a 29.5 percent lead. Twenty-three percent said they were unsure about how they plan to vote. Markey and Lynch face off in the April 30 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by John Kerry’s appointment to Secretary …

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Five Submit Required Signatures for U.S. Senate Race

Two Democrats and three Republicans submitted the needed 10,000 names.

Two Democrats and three Republicans submitted the required number of signatures to run in the special election for U.S. Senate, according to the Boston Globe. U.S. Reps. Edward Markey (D-Malden) and Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) each filed more than double the 10,000 certified signatures required. Markey led the way with nearly 34,000 signatures, while Lynch had just over 25,000. On the Republican side, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan filed nearly 19,000 signatures, followed by former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez of Cohasset at almost 17,000 and state Rep. Daniel Winslow of Norfolk at more than 13,000. Those totals only include those signatures submitted to the Secretary of State's office by Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline. City and town …

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Markey, Lynch Agree to Six Debates Before Primary

Locations include Boston, Lowell, New Bedford, Worcester and Springfield.

  Congressmen Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch, the two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, have agreed to participate in six debates between now and the April 30 primary, according to the Boston Herald. The Boston Herald’s Chris Cassidy just Tweeted that three of the debates will be general format, with the remaining three focusing on jobs, domestic issues and foreign policy. One of the debates will be held in Boston, and others will be held in Lowell, New Bedford, Worcester and Springfield. The location of the sixth debate has not been determined. Markey and Lynch are facing off to see who will take on the winner of the Republican primary in the June 25 special election to fill the seat vacated by John Kerry’s appointment as Secretary …

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Lynch, Markey Hit the Road, Republicans Get Started

Nomination papers deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 27

With only days to go before nomination papers are due in the race for U.S. Senate, last week was a busy one for announced and potential candidates looking to fill the seat left vacant by John Kerry’s appointment to Secretary of State. The Republican field lost one prominent candidate, and another generated a bit of controversy. On the Democratic side, Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Malden) and Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) have been working through their pre-primary debate schedule and campaigning across the state. Democrats Markey and Lynch hit the road Both Democratic candidates hit the road again last week from Pittsfield to Salem, meeting with residents and attending fundraisers. Markey had campaign stops in Taunton, Fall River, Lowell …

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Markey or Lynch: Who Would You Vote for Today?

Democratic congressmen Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch will face off in a primary on April 30 in the race to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by new Secretary of State John Kerry.

We have a race. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch became the second candidate to officially enter the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by new Secretary of State John Kerry, following his fellow Democratic Congressman Ed Markey. Lynch and Markey will now face off in a primary set for April 30 for the right to represent the Democratic Party in the special election on June 25 against a still unknown Republican opponent, as no GOP candidate has officially entered the race yet. Former U.S. Senator Scott Brown fired an early salvo against Markey, but said on Friday that he would not run for Senate. There are differences between Lynch and Markey, despite being members of the same party. Lynch voted against Obamacare, officially called the …

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Lynch Announces U.S. Senate Run on Facebook

Stephen Lynch posted a YouTube video this morning with his announcement.

While Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston) isn’t expected to make a formal announcement until later this afternoon, a new Stephen Lynch for Senate Facebook page popped up this morning with a link to a “Stephen Lynch for US Senate Announcement” YouTube video that announces Lynch’s Senate candidacy. Earlier in the morning, the Stephen Lynch for Congress Facebook page had posted a message directing people to the newly created Senate page for news “on today’s plans and schedule.” Lynch, whose district includes West Roxbury, is expected to make an announcement at 4 p.m. this afternoon at the Ironworkers Local 7 Hall in South Boston. Lynch would be the second Democrat running for the unexpired term left vacant by John Kerry’s confirmation …

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