CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
– POLITICS
Aug. 26, 2009 – 8:07 p.m.
Some Potential Kennedy Successors Have Financial Head Start
By Emily Cadei, CQ Staff
As politicians in Massachusetts consider whether to run to succeed Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , they’ll be sizing up both their own assets and those of the potential competition, including House members past and present with seven-figure campaign accounts.
Leading the way in available funds for a potential campaign is former 5th District Rep. Marty Meehan, currently chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Meehan’s federal account boasted $4.9 million as of June 30.
Meehan, a Democrat, did not rule out a Senate run Tuesday, but told CQ Politics that he is focused on his work at the university and thinks “ everyone ought to just sit back and take a week or two and focus on Senator Kennedy.”
Meehan’s followed on the list of best-funded Democrats by 17-term Rep. Edward J. Markey , with $2.9 million funds, and 11-term Rep. Richard E. Neal , who holds $2.5 million in cash.
Former 8th District Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sen. Kennedy’s nephew, still has $1.8 million in his campaign account, despite leaving office in 1999.
The rest of the list is as follows:
• Rep. Stephen F. Lynch , 9th District: $1.4 million
• Rep. John F. Tierney , 6th District: $1.3 million
• Rep. Michael E. Capuano , 8th District: $1.2 million
• Rep. Jim McGovern , 3rd District: $536,000
• Rep. Barney Frank , 4th District: $404,000
• Rep. John W. Olver , 1st District: $186,000
• Rep. Niki Tsongas , 5th District: $179,000
• Attorney General Margaret Coakley: $144,000
• Rep. Bill Delahunt , 9th District: $74,000
All sums reflect campaign committee records through the end of June, except for Coakley, whose records are through Aug. 15.
Massachusetts campaign finance laws and contribution limits are fairly strict relative to federal restrictions which means Coakley could likely transfer a significant portion of her funds over to a senatorial campaign committee. But she would still start at a distinct financial disadvantage.
On Wednesday, Frank took himself out of the running for Senate, saying he was focused on his work as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, where he has been charged with overhauling the nation’s financial regulatory system. Frank told CQ Politics that with that in mind, it would be “wholly irresponsible for me to spend the next five months running for the Senate.”
Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the senator’s widow, told local reporters last week that she was not interested in the seat.
Her late husband has $4.5 million remaining in his senatorial campaign fund. Campaign laws prohibit that money from being transferred, en bloc, to another candidate, but the committee could donate to other candidates within the proscribed contribution limits, transfer the funds in their entirety to the Democratic party, return the funds to donors, or give them to charity.
Complicating succession matters is a new political debate over whether the governor should be allowed to appoint an interim senator to fill the seat for the approximately five months leading up to the special election. Kennedy sent a letter last week to Gov. Deval Patrick , state Senate President Therese Murray and state House Speaker Robert DeLeo asking them to change state law and pave the way for a temporary gubernatorial appointee to hold the seat until a special election is held.
The governor said Wednesday that if such a bill reached his desk, he would sign it.
Kennedy specifically said the governor should obtain a commitment from the appointee to serve temporarily and not participate in the special election, to ensure a fair contest.
Comments
It will be interesting to see if the Republicans stage a candidate, and if so, who it might be. One obvious name is former governor Mitt Romney. He most surely will be encouraged by the RNC to run, but it's a very high risk effort for him. If he were to win, not very likely, he would be in a commanding position to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012. However, if he were to run and lose, he would, for all practical purposes, be dead as a viable politician.
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