Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who recently announced that he would not run for a sixth term as Mayor, shocked the Massachusetts political world today by announcing that he is jumping into the race for the US Senate seat recently vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry.
“I’ve always felt that elocution was one of my strongest attributes as a politician,” Menino told reporters at a hastily-assembled press conference outside his Hyde Park home, “and the Senate is the perfect place for me to put those skills to work on the national stage.” He added that his number one priority in the Senate will be to restore the “talking filibuster,” and that he anticipates working closely with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on that issue.
Menino, who quietly switched his party affiliation from Democratic to unenrolled a few weeks ago, must submit 10,000 signatures for certification by this Wednesday, April 3, in order to qualify for the ballot. Experts anticipate that Menino’s vaunted political machine will have no difficulty gathering the required signatures in the next couple of days.
Pundits deemed Menino’s entry into the Senate race a true game-changer – Menino’s popularity with his constituents is staggeringly high, and news of his retirement as Mayor of Boston generated national headlines and a statement from President Obama. In contrast, the Democratic and Republican candidates in the race have apparently had a hard time generating much excitement thus far, with polls showing high levels of undecided voters on both sides. Indeed, the media seemed largely to have lost interest in the race before Menino’s announcement. In addition, Menino is likely to garner the vast majority of the vote in Boston, which means that the Democratic candidates will have to undertake a drastic overhaul their general election strategy. One Democratic strategist expressed concern that Menino’s entry into the race could mean trouble for the Democrats’ chances of holding the seat – that is, if anyone had ever heard of any of the Republican candidates.
sethjp says
LOL. Thanks for this.
petr says
… I was passing by there, ’cause heard that the Hyde Park Dunkin Donuts was handing out free baklava today, and I heard what I thought was “Hive smelt the electrocution was on my strong jest at boots as a poll attrition.,” but whatever…
Jack Mitchell says
Sarah Palin @SarahPalinRealUSA
Mumbling Mavericks Rock!
#halftermersformenino
Jasiu says
I was half way into the first quote before reminding myself of today’s date. Love it!
Laurel says
🙂
Bob Neer says
A fourth career beckons.