Kerry to Keep Senate Seat During Campaign

AP ^ | 2.17.04

[ambrose]

Kerry to Keep Senate Seat During Campaign Kerry Campaign Says He'll Keep Senate Seat While Seeking Presidential Nomination

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Feb. 17 - Sen. John Kerry doesn't plan to resign his Senate seat while he pursues the Democratic presidential nomination.

Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Kerry, who has won 14 of the 16 Democratic primaries and caucuses to date, "will continue to fight for the issues important to the people of Massachusetts and all Americans" as he makes his bid for the White House.

Darrell West, a Brown University political science professor, said it would make sense for Kerry, who is serving his fourth term in the Senate, to resign.

"He doesn't need the money or the aggravation, and he's going to be spending most of his time campaigning," West said. "It would help for him to not have to vote."

At the same time, West said, Kerry could lose everything if he resigned his seat and then didn't win the White House.

The key concern for Kerry and the Democrats is that if he resigns or even if he does not and goes on to win the White House Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney would appoint an interim replacement.

Assuming he appointed a Republican, it would break the Democrats' 26-year grip on the state's two Senate seats. The last Republican senator from Massachusetts was Edward Brooke, who won election in 1966 and served two terms.

Members of the state's congressional delegation were emphatically opposed to any notion of resignation.

"It would be dangerous to give the right wing controlling the United States Senate an extra vote," said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass. "There are many Senate votes that are very close."

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said there is no more reason for Kerry to step down to run his campaign full time than there is for President Bush to resign to campaign.

Republicans were cautious, saying they were not ready to call for Kerry to step down.

But Dominic Ianno, executive director of the Massachusetts Republican party, found the idea of Kerry stepping down enticing.

"We'd have a Republican senator," Ianno said.

Romney spokeswoman Shawn Feddeman said the governor hadn't given the matter any thought.

"Our money's on Bush," she said.

In 1996, Sen. Bob Dole gave up his seat in early June before formally receiving the GOP nod to run against President Clinton.

Dole said he wanted to focus on an all-or-nothing election race and "leave behind all the trappings of power, all comfort and all security."

But four years later, Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut ran for re-election to his Senate seat while simultaneously running as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. That decision worried some state Democrats because if Lieberman had resigned, a Democrat could have run. But if he stayed and became vice president, Republican Gov. John Rowland would have appointed a GOP replacement.

Lieberman's safety net worked for him. He lost the White House race, but kept his Senate seat.

Under Massachusetts law and the constitution, if a vacancy occurs Romney would appoint an interim senator, who would serve until the next state election in 2006. There would then be an election to fill the final two years of Kerry's term, which ends in 2008. And in 2008 there would be an election for a full six-year term.

There is no mechanism to call for a special election.

While Democrats and Republicans insist there is little speculation so far on who would be the top contenders if a vacancy came up, a few names have surfaced.

On the Republican side, Romney cannot appoint himself, but he could resign and be appointed by the lieutenant governor.

Among Democrats, several House members would be near the top of any list, including Markey and Meehan, along with Reps. Barney Frank and William Delahunt.

[ambrose]

Wow, Mr. Kerry sure is confident of his chances, isn't he?

< / sarcasm>

[RichInOC]

I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to call a Vietnam War Navy vet a coward...

[ambrose]

Go for it... because he is a coward.

[Paleo Conservative]

Every time he is absent for a vote is a good day for America.

[KellyAdmirer]

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said there is no more reason for Kerry to step down to run his campaign full time than there is for President Bush to resign to campaign.

Well, President Bush isn't missing any votes and thus isn't, er, AWOL, buddy.

[ambrose]

The funny thing is I believe that if Kerry resigned NOW, there'd be a special election this November. If he's elected Prez and resigns, the GOP keeps the seat until 2006.

Tells you how confident he is of his chances.

[CyberAnt]

That's what I was thinking !!!

[Conspiracy Guy]

Kerry

I thank you for your service,
Way back in Viet Nam.
But that is no free ticket,
To let you pull this scam.
You spit upon our nation,
Betrayed our young brave men.
You called them baby killers,
It’s not true now, nor then.
You sir are just low life scum,
You prey upon rich chicks.
I hope Teresa sees the light,
And dumps your bag of tricks.
I’ll vote for Bush this coming fall,
And pray that you don’t win.
For if you win, we all will lose,
Our freedom will cave in.

Conspiracy Guy 2/16/4

[maica]

Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Kerry, who has won 14 of the 16 Democratic primaries and caucuses to date, "will continue to fight for the issues important to the people of Massachusetts and all Americans" as he makes his bid for the White House.

+++++

Why do the anti-war dems always promise to "fight" for their constituents?

This 'core belief' statement of the dems has always jarred my ears.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

I wonder if any Republicans at all held on to their current political office while running for another office, like lieberman and kerry, etc. Or is this just another way demodimwits milk everything they can out of their chosen profession? I think this should be a campaign issue if mostly the weasly, COWARDLY dems do it.

[Phlap]

Benson? Didn't work. Lieberman? Didn't work. Kerry? Ain't gona work.

[BlackRazor]

I wonder if any Republicans at all held on to their current political office while running for another office, like lieberman and kerry, etc.

When did President Bush step down as governor of Texas?

[republicanwizard]

I'm delighted. Kerry has a disdain for Governors, so he will probably pick a Senator as his running mate. That means the Democrats will be down two in every Senate vote.

Frist should, and I'm not sure if he has the guts, order every Republican that there will be no pairing. If the Democrats want to deplete their caucus by two, then more power to them.

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

and all Americans"

Will he fight for lower taxes smaller government and a strong military. That is what a lot of Americans want. Will he fight for that. I doubt it.

[Just mythoughts]

JFKerry AWOL in the Senate.

Of course no big deal considering the nonexistent GOP leadership there.

[mwl1]

No, no, no... everyone is missing the key aspect of this.

We don't want Kerry to be absent for votes after Labor Day... as the majority party we control the legislative calendar in the Senate.

We want him throughout the year, especially after Labor Day, to have to vote on: making the tax cuts permanent; the defense appropriation bill; the constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage; circuit court judges; and many, many other items.

Every time Kerry has to vote, he alienates either his base or the broad section of the American electorate. If he is absent, we call him AWOL.

[mwl1]

The fact that the RATS are nominating a Senator from the minority party shows their desperation -- using Senate legislative procedure we can destroy his candidacy in September and deliberately keep him off the campaign trail.

[republicanwizard]

Yes, you make a good point. I'm wrong, and you are right. We could use our position to great effect. Just imagine how quickly the moderate voters will run from Kerry if he does vote in the Senate. Just imagine how quickly the liberal voters will run to Nade if he doesn't vote in the Senate.

I CAN'T WAIT! (Let's just hope Frist does what Rove tells him to do)

[mwl1]

Frist will do exactly what the White House tells him to do. We will use the Senate rules to destroy John Kerry.