I Would Fly 5,000 Miles Just to Help You Get Elected
by Nathan L Gonzales, Rothenblog, Roll Call
Rep. Edward J. Markey is getting widespread support from Massachusetts to Hawaii in his special-election bid for Senate in the Bay State. Wait, what? Hawaii?
Last weekend, freshman Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, took to the campaign trail along with a large collection of state, local and federal officeholders from Massachusetts, to help push the Democratic congressman across the finish line June 25….
…Gabbard’s willingness to help Markey and her party is also indicative of her broader ambition for higher office.
When Sen. Daniel K. Inouye passed away, Gabbard requested that she be considered for the appointment to replace him. The request had the potential to ruffle some feathers within her own party, since she hadn’t even been sworn in to her first term in the House yet and was already asking for a promotion. Not to mention that others with more political experience were in the mix and many people believed the late senator wanted Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to replace him.
Ultimately, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz was appointed to the seat and Hanabusa announced her intention to challenge him in the 2014 primary. But Gabbard chose to stay out of that mess, since running for the Senate at this stage would likely upset Democrats in Hawaii and Washington.
She could still run statewide next year by challenging Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Even though she would be challenging an incumbent, it actually wouldn’t be as big of a political risk within her own party because of his first-term troubles.
For now, Gabbard is following a regular political playbook: If you want to move your way up, help others out. And right now, the Massachusetts Senate race is the only game in town.
read … Rothenblog
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