Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement tonight regarding the special election in Massachusetts. Here’s the full text:
In Massachusetts, we fight like hell in political campaigns, we debate our differences, and the day after an election we go to work for the state we love. That’s what we need to do now.
I congratulate Scott Brown on his victory, and know that at this critical time our entire congressional delegation will do what’s best for Massachusetts.
Martha Coakley cares deeply about our state, and while we share in her disappointment we are all proud that she broke a glass ceiling in the politics of our party. She returns to the work of being an outstanding Attorney General for the Commonwealth.
Tonight’s results will be analyzed and overanalyzed by the punditry. I hope as a party we don’t succumb to the temptation to form a circular firing squad. It does no one any good. One lesson Ted Kennedy and I both learned from defeat is, you just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, chart a course forward, and get back in the fight.
I didn’t need any reminders, but this election encapsulated what was clear in 2006 and 2008 and remains clear today: Americans are angry. They’re mad at Washington and they’re mad at Wall Street. They’ve seen millions of jobs lost and been left no choice but to bail out those responsible. They’re tired of insurance companies that charge exorbitant premiums but don’t deliver decent coverage when they need it. They’re fed up with sending billions of dollars a day overseas for foreign oil. They hate knowing that they pay taxes while powerful interests evade taxes and hide money overseas in Cayman Island bank accounts. And they expect all of us, Democrat or Republican, to fight for them. That’s what I will keep doing in the Senate and will work with everyone who shares those goals.
