The Boston Globe is reported last night that it looks very likely that the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, is going to choose Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren to be her running mate, making it the first ticket in American history with two women on it. Why? How? Because of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid:
“Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has been actively reviewing Massachusetts rules for filling a US Senate vacancy, another indication of the seriousness with which Democrats are gaming out the possibility of Elizabeth Warren joining likely presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s ticket.
“The upshot of Reid’s review is that Senate Democrats may have found an avenue to block or at least narrow GOP Governor Charlie Baker’s ability to name a temporary replacement and prevent the Senate from flipping to a Democratic majority if Warren were to leave the chamber. That suggests the issue is not as significant an obstacle as Reid previously feared.”
“In the event of a Senate or House vacancy, Massachusetts currently requires a special election to be held within 145 to 160 days. In the interim, the governor has the authority to appoint a successor. But Reid’s team has identified a portion of the law that allows an officeholder to start the special election clock by filing a resignation letter, but also announcing an intention to vacate the seat at a later date.
“In theory, Warren could file such a letter 145 days before the Jan. 20, 2017 inauguration and successfully block Baker from picking any temporary replacement.”
I am not at all worried about the Republican Governor of Massachusetts appointing a replacement for a brief four month period. So long as Massachusetts Democrats do not nominate Martha Coakley, we will win the special election.