Scott Brown: “Carpetbagger” And Multi State Senator?

Scott Brown served almost three years in the US Senate from Massachusetts, winning a special election to replace Ted Kennedy by defeating Attorney General Martha Coakley early in 2010. Then, he lost the full Senate term to Elizabeth Warren in 2012.

Now, Scott Brown wants to come back to the Senate in 2015, but from New Hampshire, as he turned down the chance to run for the vacant Senate seat given up by John Kerry when he became Secretary of State in 2013.

So Scott Brown hopes to do what has not been done since the 1870s and only twice ever, to serve in the Senate from more than one state, with the record being set by James Shields, who served Illinois from 1849-1855, Minnesota in 1858, and Missouri in 1879. One other earlier Senator, unclear who it is at this moment, also served two states.

So for 135 years this has never happened, and very few “carpetbagger” Senators have served since the Reconstruction Era 150 years ago.

The only major examples are New York’s two “outsiders,” often called “carpetbaggers,” but elected despite not really being New Yorkers–Robert F. Kennedy (1965-1968), and Hillary Clinton (2001-2009).

The only modern example of a Senator trying to be elected from a second state was New York Senator James Buckley (1971-1977) , who tried and failed to be elected as a “carpetbagger” from Connecticut in 1980.

So Scott Brown is fighting history and tradition, and except for New York, the willingness to elect an “outsider” to the Senate, although Brown has had a second home in New Hampshire for many years, while always being in office in the state legislature of Massachusetts, and identifying himself as a Massachusetts resident.

His New Hampshire opponent, Senator and former Governor Jeanne Shaheen, will be a tough opponent, and she is highly favored to win, in a state where the two Senators, two House members, and the Governor, are all women, and all Democrats, except for Senator Kelly Ayotte.

It is ironic that in each race Brown has entered for the US Senate, that his opponent has been a woman—Martha Coakley, Elizabeth Warren, and now Jeanne Shaheen.

Don’t put any betting money on Scott Brown making history in 2014 in New Hampshire!

4 comments on “Scott Brown: “Carpetbagger” And Multi State Senator?

  1. Paul Doyle March 18, 2014 6:01 pm

    Professor:
    I almost forgot. There is already a candidate who has thrown his hat into the ring for the GOP. Former Senator Bob Smith, who has a checkered history with the GOP since he lost re-election in 2002 to John Sununu. He was “tea party” before there was Tea Party. He announced his candidacy early last week.

    Karl Rove got involved in the Sununu campaign as his father was H.W.’s chief of staff.
    Smith moved to Florida, ran for President on some cockamamie 3rd party ticket for about 3 minutes. In 2004, to spite what Bush did to him, he went Democrat and endorsed John Kerry.

    He is not well liked to say the least and this is another Don Quixote attempt to get back into politics.

    I thought he also attempted to run for the Senate out of Florida when he moved down there.

  2. Ronald March 18, 2014 6:15 pm

    You are correct, Paul. All we need now is another Bob Smith to run in NH, and that will totally confuse opponents of Jeanne Shaheen! LOL

  3. Ronald March 20, 2014 10:19 pm

    This is worrisome, Paul, as Jeanne Shaheen is one of the best Senators, and Scott Brown is a total charlatan. But with Citizens United, principle and decency does not matter, sadly!

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