Rep. Edward Markey cruised to victory in the Massachusetts special election to fill the unexpired term of Secretary of State John Kerry. Markey got 55% of the vote while his GOP challenger, former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez received 45%. Politico: His victory in the deep-blue state was almost universally expected: Gomez a former Navy SEAL and investor, never caught fire despite his attempt to portray himself as a new kind of moderate Republican. And Democrats went all out to avoid another GOP upset, pouring in millions of dollars and sending some of the party's top surrogates to the state to campaign for Markey, including President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton. Markey galvanized left-leaning voters by attacking Gomez for opposing abortion rights and an assault weapons ban. In his victory speech, the senator-elect also cited issues now at the forefront of the president's agenda. "I will fight for immigrant families reaching for the American dream," he said....(Read Full Post)