By Scott Malone
BOSTON (Reuters) - Republican political newcomer Gabriel Gomez heads into the final debate with veteran Democratic Congressman Edward Markey ahead of next week's special U.S. Senate election with one big hope, observers contend: that Markey screws up.
Polls show Markey holds a solid lead in the heavily Democratic-leaning state as he vies to fill the seat vacated when President Barack Obama tapped John Kerry as secretary of state.
Markey enjoyed a 54-41 lead over Gomez in the most recent statewide poll conducted June 11 to 14 for the Boston Globe, a slightly stronger margin than polls conducted earlier in the month. The Globe poll of 502 registered voters found that Markey's edge existed only among registered Democrats, with Gomez leading with Republicans and independents.
"All the pressure is on Gabriel Gomez. He is significantly behind in the polls and he badly needs a game changer. It's difficult in debates, however, to generate a game-changer," said Jeffrey Berry, professor of political science at Tufts University outside Boston. "If there is a significant outcome of a debate, it's much more likely that it derives from a gaffe than something positive."
The two will face off at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday at a television studio in Boston.
Gomez, a private equity executive and former Navy Seal, has sought to portray Markey, who was first elected to Congress in 1976, as having become out of touch with Massachusetts voters during his decades in office.
Markey, meanwhile, has sought to tie Gomez closely to the conservative positions of the national Republican party, many of which are unpopular in liberal Massachusetts.
That is a strategy that U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren used effectively in unseating Republican Scott Brown in November. Brown had stunned the state's Democratic party in early 2010 when he beat state Attorney General Martha Coakley to win the seat that became available when Edward M. Kennedy died.
The seat is one of two in the U.S. Senate up for grabs ahead of next year's midterm elections, with New Jersey holding a special election in October to fill the seat vacated after Frank Lautenberg died.
Last week Obama traveled to Massachusetts to campaign with Markey, as Democrats fight to keep that seat. The party holds a 54-46 edge in the Senate, now that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has named fellow Republican Jeffrey Chiesa as interim Senator to fill Democrat Lautenberg's seat.
In Massachusetts, a former top aide to Democratic Governor Deval Patrick is serving as interim senator until next week's election.
(Editing by David Gregorio)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pressure-republican-ahead-massachusetts-senate-debate-170738001.html
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