NEW: Lynch Kicks Off Senate Campaign With Stop In Worcester

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Adam Joseph Drici, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch stopped in Worcester on Thursday just hours after announcing that his candidacy for the Senate special election to replace John Kerry.

Lynch was joined by State Representatives John Binienda and John Fresolo of Worcester and City Councilor Kathleen Toomey when he met with supporters and fielded questions about his candidacy at the Parkway Diner on Shrewsbury Street.

Fellow U.S. Representative Edward Markey is the only other candidate from either party to officially announce a run for the seat, and Lynch's entrance into the race will kick off a contested Democratic primary on April 30.

"I don't intend to purchase this election. I intend to earn it," Lynch said, in reference to the contributions his Democratic opponent has racked up over the years.

He also said that the Washington establishment tried to clear the field of candidates, with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee throwing its support behind Markey before it was clear whether or not other candidates would emerge.

When asked about critics who have said that he would not "fit in" in the Senate, Lynch said that he saw it as a positive, not a negative.

"There's a certain insulation that they have in Washington," he said, noting a gap between what goes on in D.C. and what happens on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester.

"We need to shake things up," Lynch said, adding that he was not sure if that would happen with Markey as the establishment candidate.

When asked about the possibility of facing former Republican Senator Scott Brown in the June special election if he comes out on top in the party primary, Lynch was confident that his own credentials would stack up well against the GOP opponent.

"I had a pickup truck, too," he said. "Mine was a work truck."

Lynch also pointed to his experience growing up in a housing project, his years as a union ironworker and having personally stood in an unemployment line as examples of how he understands the issues facing residents of the Commonwealth.

"He's lived the life so many people in Worcester have lived," said Toomey, who has known Lynch personally for a number of years.

"Washington shouldn't be deciding who's representing Worcester and Massachusetts in the Senate."