Voting for Senator in Massachusetts

Tomorrow, Massachusetts will nominate a Democrat and a Republican to run for the senate seat held for over four decades by Ted Kennedy.  While no one in the bunch can match the political skills he honed during that time, the Democratic field of four  is strong.  I can easily and enthusiastically support any one of them in the final election.  It's a comforting feeling, as is the fact that all four are great on LGBT issues, from ending don't ask, don't tell to supporting same-sex marriage rights.

Remember: same sex marriage has been in Massachusetts a little over five years.  Today it would be hard to imagine anyone winning a state wide office on a platform of opposing marriage equality.  In the 2010 governor's race, for example, Charlie Baker, the Republican, has already addressed the issue head on when declaring his candidacy, vowing his full support, then selected an out gay man as his running mate.  And, as I have noted before, Deval Patrick has been an indispensable leader in the fight for marriage equality.

What this means for me when I vote tomorrow is that I've gotten to know the candidates a little better than I might have.  The candidate debates avoided an issue that, when discussed in the political forum these days, rarely offers new insight.  We know the sound bites on both sides; there's not much more to say so candidates simply say it  louder, angrier.  There's been none of that in the Democratic primary because of the unanimity of opinion.  So now we can dig deeper, try to understand the backgrounds and impulses of the candidates, get a better handle on their knowledge of other, more complex issue.  The litmus test is gone; I don't even have the option of voting for a Democratic candidate against equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.  I can make my decision on their stances on the death penalty, civil liberties health care.  I can weigh experience  more than I might have.  In short, I have choices.

Not too long ago, it was considered risky, even courageous, to support civil unions in a statewide election.  When Robert Reich ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2002, he made headlines by supporting equal marriage.  Now, it seems, you'd make headlines if you didn't.

In the Republican primary in Tuesday, one of the two candidates  is in complete support of same sex marriage.  The other, Scott Brown, is a state senator who was a leader in opposition to equal marriage rights. Because Brown is better known and has the party behind him, he'll probably get the nomination.  But it will be a tough road for him.  Massachusetts voters like their Republicans with a moderate to liberal bent when it comes to social issues.  Mitt Romney ran on such a platform, then shifted to the right when he decided to run for president.  Scott Brown must know this.  The marriage issue is listed last on his website, and his position is far more tempered than it was, one that would be hard to use to justify an amendment to the federal constitution: I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. States should be free to make their own laws in this area, so long as they reflect the people's will as expressed through them directly, or as expressed through their elected representatives.  This is a significant shift from his insistence on a referendum in Massachusetts.

So at least here in Massachusetts, I don't have to eliminate anyone in the Democratic party because of their stand on marriage.  It's a refreshing feeling, and one I hope more and more voters will be able to experience.