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Scott Philip Brown
United States Senator-elect from Massachusetts
Assuming office
Succeeding	Paul Kirk
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex district
Incumbent
Assumed office March 2004
Preceded by	Cheryl Jacques
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 9th Norfolk district
In office 1998–2004
Preceded by	Jo Ann Sprague
Succeeded by	Richard J. Ross
Member of the Wrentham, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen
In office 1995–1998
Personal details
Born	(1959-09-12) September 12, 1959 (age 65) Wakefield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gail Huff
Children	Ayla Brown Arianna Brown
Residence	Wrentham, Massachusetts
Alma mater	Tufts University Boston College Law School
Profession	Politician, lawyer, soldier
Awards	Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security
Website	ScottBrown.com
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Army National Guard
Years of service	1979–present
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Commands	Head defense attorney for Massachusetts

Scott Philip Brown (born September 12, 1959) is the United States Senator-elect from Massachusetts. On January 19, 2010, he defeated Democrat Martha Coakley 52% to 47% in the special election to fill the remaining three years of the U.S. Senate term vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy. Brown became the first Republican to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since 1972. While initially trailing Attorney General Martha Coakley in polling by a large margin, Brown closed the gap in the first weeks of January 2010 before going on to win the election. Pending his imminent resignation from the Massachusetts state Senate, he continues to represent the Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex District and has held this office since 2004. His state political experience consists of nearly three terms in the Massachusetts state House of Representatives and three terms in the Massachusetts state Senate. Prior to entering the state legislature, he had public executive experience as a town selectman.

Brown is a graduate of Wakefield High School (1977), Tufts University (1981), and Boston College Law School (1985). He is a practicing attorney specializing in real estate law.

Early life and education

Brown grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts and spent his summers in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where his father served as a city councilor for 18 years. Brown's father, C. Bruce Brown, and mother, Judith,divorced when he was about a year old. Both his parents have since remarried three times. His father and his grandfather were Republicans. His father has said that young Scott became interested in running for political office in the mid 1960s while accompanying him on a campaign for state office; Scott Brown recalls holding campaign signs for his father.

Brown has said that he "didn't grow up with all the advantages in life" and that his working mother needed welfare benefits for a short time. During various periods of his childhood, Brown lived with his grandparents and his aunt. Brown has stated that when he was 12 years old, he was arrested in Salem, Massachusetts for shoplifting record albums. As his punishment, the judge had him write a 1500 word essay on whether his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail. Brown has said, "That was the last time I ever stole, the last time I ever thought about stealing".

He graduated from Wakefield High School in 1977, earning a Bachelors of Arts from Tufts University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1985.

Army National Guard service

Brown has said the rescue efforts of Army National Guard during the Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 impressed him. He joined the Massachusetts Army National Guard when he was 19, receiving his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and attending Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) meetings at Northeastern University. He has been active in the Guard for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Presently serving as the Army Guard's head defense attorney in New England, Brown defends Guard members who have disciplinary difficulties such as positive drug tests, and provides estate planning and real estate advice to those who are about to deploy to war zones.

Expressing regret that he will soon be forced to retire from the Guard, Brown has said: "I'm probably one of the most qualified soldiers in the entire Massachusetts .... I have enlisted service, I have infantry, quartermaster, JAG, I'm airborne qualified, I’ve been to all the courses". In response to criticism that he has never deployed to a war overseas, Brown has said, "I go where they order me to go... I'm just proud to serve and be part of the team." He served for brief periods in Kazakhstan and Paraguay and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He credits his military experience with causing him to focus on veteran's issues as well as issues of war and peace. Although the Boston Globe described Brown as having a "modest record of legislative initiatives", he has has served on the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, the Hidden Wounds of War Commission, and the Governor’s Task Force on Returning Veterans during his career as a legislator.

Political career

Massachusetts

Brown began his political career in 1992 when he was elected property assessor of Wrentham, Massachusetts. At that time, he "caught the political bug." In 1995, he was elected to the Wrentham Board of Selectmen. He successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1998, representing the 9th Norfolk District for three terms. Brown again moved up the ladder of state politics to the state Senate in March 2004 when won a special election to replace Democrat Cheryl Jacques who had resigned to chair a gay advocacy organization. Brown was re-elected for a full term in November 2004, and again in November 2006, running without opposition both times. He won re-election in November 2008, defeating Democratic candidate Sara Orozco by a 59 - 41 percent margin. In the Massachusetts Senate, Brown served on committeess dealing with consumer protection, professional licensing, education, election laws and public safety as well as veterans affairs.

In February 2007, a controversy was stirred after Brown's appearance at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts as part of a debate on gay marriage. The high school students had launched a Facebook group attack on Brown and had made a derogatory remark about his daughter, Ayla. During his presentation, Brown defended himself and his daughter by directly quoting several vulgar statements they had made and announcing the names of the students who had written the statements.

U.S. Senate campaign

On September 12, 2009, Brown announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate seat that became vacant on the death of Ted Kennedy, saying the state "needs an independent thinker". Self-described conservative columnist Kathleen Parker has described Brown as a moderate New England Republican with socially moderate and fiscally conservative views. Assistant Professor Boris Shor of the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy Studies has described Brown as a liberal Republican by national standards, but well-suited for his Massachusetts constituency.

On December 8, 2009, Brown won the Republican primary. In the general election in January 2010, he faced the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Martha Coakley, and independent Joseph L. Kennedy (no relation to the Kennedy family). A week before the general election, Brown raised $1.3 million from over 16,000 donors in a 24-hour money bomb. His campaign office stated it raised $5m US over the period from January 11-15. Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report stated on January 17 that he would put his "finger on the scale" for Scott Brown as the favorite. The Rothenberg Political Report released a statement that "the combination of public and private survey research and anecdotal information now strongly suggests that Republican Scott Brown will defeat Democrat Martha Coakley in tomorrow's race". As of January 18, 2010, Brown led Coakley in the Intrade prediction market by an 8 to 2 margin. Suffolk University's polling of three bellwether counties on January 18, had Brown leading Coakley by double-digit margins. Nate Silver of the political statistics blog FiveThirtyEight.com projected on January 18 that there was a 75% chance that Brown would defeat Coakley—part of the euphoria which Reuters attributed as driving the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 to a 15-month high on the afternoon of the Tuesday election. Brown won the January 19 election, performing well in traditional Republican strongholds and holding rival Coakley's margins down in many Democratic precincts.

In the special election campaign in 2010, controversy erupted over a conscientious objector amendment Brown had sponsored in 2005, which, according to The Boston Globe, "would have allowed a doctor, nurse or hospital to deny rape victims an emergency contraceptive if it 'conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief.'" In the candidates' January 5 debate, Brown stated that he continues to support religious hospitals in refusing to provide emergency contraception, causing the woman to go to another hospital. He said, “That's really up to the hospital. There are many, many hospitals that can deal with that situation.” Coakley ran a television advertisement attacking Brown over that saying, "Brown even favors letting hospitals deny emergency contraception to rape victims." Brown's daughter Ayla called the Coakley advertisement "completely inaccurate and misleading", and Brown criticized Coakley for running what he described as "attack ads".

For the 2010 Senate race, Brown was supported by the Greater Boston Tea Party group, which organized a January 2, 2010 fundraising breakfast for him in Boston, which he attended. The Boston Globe reported that Brown claimed he was unfamiliar with the Tea Party movement. The Tea Party Express has endorsed Brown's campaign. When told that different people labeled him a conservative, moderate and a liberal Republican, he responded “I’m a Scott Brown Republican.” Brown has voted about 90 percent of the time with the Republican party.

On election night, after Coakley conceded, Brown gave a victory speech that concluded, "I'm Scott Brown, I'm from Wrentham, I drive a truck, and I am nobody's senator but yours."

Political positions

Brown has positioned himself as an independent conservative counterweight to Massachusetts' current all-Democratic, 12-member Congressional delegation. He describes himself as fiscally conservative and socially conscious. He has said, "I'm going to be the only person down there who is going to be the independent voter and thinker.... I've always been the underdog in one shape or form".

• opposes a proposed multi-billion dollar tax on banks and prescribing bank executive compensation. Brown, discussing the proposal through a spokesperson, said that "he is opposed to higher taxes, especially in the midst of a severe recession". He also opposes it on the grounds that the tax would likely be passed onto consumers in the form of higher service and ATM fees.

• supported the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform, which requires all residents to purchase health insurance. He opposes the bills approved in late 2009 by the Democratic-led House and Senate as fiscally unsound.

• supports President Barack Obama's decision to send more troops to fight in Afghanistan. He cited Stanley McChrystal's recommendations as a reason for his support.

• advocates that suspected terrorists be tried in military tribunals and not civilian courts. He also supports the use of enhanced interrogation techniques including waterboarding.

• supports expanding solar power, wind power, nuclear power, and offshore drilling exploration as a means to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. He opposes putting up a wind farm on Nantucket Sound, remarking, "t's like putting turbines on Boston Common".

• worked in the Hidden Wounds of War Commission, focused on improving the access to mental health services available to veterans. In 2007, Brown wrote a law establishing a check off box on State income tax forms to allow a filer to indicate if he or she is a veteran of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. Known as the “Welcome Home” bonus, the measure was passed with bipartisan support.

• refers to the currently legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts as a settled issue, which he does not wish to change. Brown said he agrees with President Obama's positions on both anti-gay-marriage and pro-civil-unions. He opposes ending the Defense of Marriage Act, and generally favors leaving the issue to the states to decide.

• stated “Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and does not plan to seek to overturn it. He is against partial-birth abortions", also known as intact dilation and extraction. He believes in parental consent, a strong parental notification law.", for minors who seek an abortion. He said he would not use abortion as a litmus test in Supreme Court confirmations."

• opposes federal funding for elective abortions in accordance with the Hyde Amendment.

• voted for bill which required emergency rooms to provide contraceptives to rape victims after his exemption amendment failed.

• supports religious hospitals in refusing to provide emergency contraception, causing the woman to go to another hospital. He said, “That's really up to the hospital. There are many, many hospitals that can deal with that situation.”

• supports the death penalty.

• opposes providing driver’s licenses and in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. He also supports strengthening border enforcement and creating an employment verification system with penalties for companies that hire illegal immigrants.

• supports a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict in which Israel and a new, independent Palestinian state would co-exist side by side.

Organizational associations and honors

Brown is a 30-year member of the Massachusetts National Guard, in which he currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in organizing the National Guard to quickly support homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Lieutenant Colonel Brown has also completed Airborne School and been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

A member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Brown is also involved in the Wrentham Lions Club, United Chamber of Commerce, North Attleboro/Plainville Chamber of Commerce, Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce, and USA Triathlon Federation. He serves as a Board Member of the 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership Inc., and serves on the Hockamock YMCA Board of Incorporators.

Brown has received the "Public Servant of the Year" Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state's sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. Brown's family has helped raise funds for such organizations as The Horace Mann Educational Associates, Wrentham Developmental Center, Charles River Arc, and the Arc of Northern Bristol County, all for the care and support of those with developmental disabilities. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.

Personal life

Family

Brown is married to WCVB-TV reporter Gail Huff; they have two daughters, Ayla Brown, an American Idol semi-finalist and star basketball player at Boston College, and Arianna Brown, a competitive equestrian and pre-medical student at Syracuse University. Besides their primary home in Wrentham, Massachusetts, the couple owns a home in Rye, New Hampshire, three condos in Boston, and a timeshare on the Caribbean island of Aruba.

Religion

Brown and his family worship at New England Chapel in Franklin, a member of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. They also have a relationship with an order of Cistercian Roman Catholic nuns at Mt. St. Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham. The Brown family has raised over $5 million for the order, helping to install solar panels, a wind turbine and a candy manufacturing plant that the order operates. Sister Katie McNamara has said of the family, "e pray for them every day".

Sports

Brown is a champion long-distance runner, bicyclist, and swimmer. He has won several awards and trophies competing in triathlons and duathlons, but because of an intense schedule, he cut back from frequent exercise during his 2009-2010 Senate campaign.

Scott Brown has also played basketball since a young age. He was a senior co-captain at Wakefield High School, earning the title of Middlesex League MVP. He continued playing the sport at Tufts University, where he became known for his adept jump-shots and acquired his sports nickname, "Downtown Scotty Brown". He has challenged President Barack Obama to a game of basketball over a phone call following Brown's election victory.

Modeling

In June 1982, Brown, then a 22-year-old law student at Boston College, posed nude or seminude in a Cosmopolitan centerfold as the winner of the magazine's "America's Sexiest Man" contest, using the earnings towards paying for college. In the interview, he referred to himself as "a bit of a patriot" and stated that he had political ambitions. Brown has also worked as an actor in his early career, appearing in a variety of television commercials and university productions.

References

1. ^ Mooney, Brian C. (November 20, 2009). "Being the underdog never deters a driven Brown". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
2. "Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race". Washington Post. January 19, 2010.
3. "Poll: Scott Brown surges to double-digit lead over Martha Coakley". MyFoxBoston.com. January 18, 2010.
4. "Senate Race Competitive" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. January 9, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
5. http://insidemedford.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ma-senate-poll-results.pdf. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Text "Senate poll results" ignored (help)
6. ^ Kathleen Parker (January 10, 2010). "A Republican Senate upset in Massachusetts?". Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
7. "Senate Race Competitive" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. January 9, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
8. Johnson, Glen (January 15, 2010). "Health bill at stake, Obama to stump in state". Associated Press/Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. "RSS". American Research Group. January 18, 2010.
10. ^ "State Senator Scott Brown". ScottBrown.com. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
11. ^ Mooney, Brian C. (January 7, 2010). "Guard service a key to candidate Brown". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
12. "About State Senator Scott Brown". Scott Brown. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
13. ^ Naughton, Philippe (January 20, 2010). "Twenty things to know about Scott Brown". The Times.
14. ^ Ring, Dan (November 30, 2009). "Republican Scott Brown, seeking to fill the seat held by Ted Kennedy, favors more troops in Afghanistan, opposes health insurance overhaul". MassLive.com. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
15. Katzman, Katie (January 15, 2010). "Brown's dad proud of son's political rise". Newbury Port News.
16. Brown, Scott (January 14, 2010). "A New Day Is Coming To Restore Faith And Balance". Opinion. Boston Globe.
17. ^ Associated Press staff reporters (January 16, 2010). "US Senate candidate Scott Brown, at a glance". Associated Press / Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
18. "Mandatory Removal Date (MRD) Calculator". U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
19. Heather McCarron (February 10, 2007). "Brown on hot seat after quoting 'F' word at school appearance". MetroWest Daily News.
20. Parker, Kathleen (January 11, 2010). "This conservative will miss Ellen Goodman's columns". The Beaumont Enterprise. Beaumont, Texas: Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
21. Parker, Kathleen (January 10, 2010), "A Republican Senate upset in Massachusetts?", The Washington Post, retrieved 2010-01-18{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
22. Shor, Boris (January 15, 2010). "Scott Brown is a more liberal Republican than Dede Scozzafava". Retrieved January 16, 2010.
23. Gelman, Andrew (January 15, 2010). "Scott Brown is a Liberal Republican". FiveThirtyEight.com. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
24. Sullivan, Andrew (January 16, 2010). "More Liberal Than Scozzafava". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
25. Michael Levenson (December 8, 2009). "Scott Brown wins GOP primary, readies for race against Coakley". Boston.com.
26. "Candidates for Kennedy seat make final money pitch". Boston Herald. January 12, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
27. Karl Vick; Chris Cillizza (January 16, 2010). "Democrats scramble in Massachusetts to retain Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
28. Carnevale, Mary Lu (January 18, 2010). "Bay State Battle: New Indicators Show Brown Gaining Ground". WSJ blogs. Wall Street Journal.
29. "MA Special Election". January 18, 2010.
30. Catanese, David (January 18, 2010). "New Poll: Brown Up 9". Politico.
31. Silver, Nate (January 18, 2010). "538 Model Posits Brown as 3:1 Favorite". FiveThirtyEight.com.
32. Whitesides, John (January 19, 2010). "Republican wins Senate race in Massachusetts". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
33. "Massachusetts County Results". January 20, 2010.
34. "Brown wins Massachusetts Senate race, CNN projects". CNN.com. January 19, 2010.
35. "Brown Beats Coakley in Massachusetts Senate Race". FOXNews.com. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
36. 96.9 Boston Talks podcast of the January 5, 2010 debate
37. In debate, Senate candidates seek to define differences Boston Globe, January 6, 2010
38. ^ Viser, Matt (January 12, 2010), "Brown's daughters call for Coakley to take down ad", The Boston Globe, retrieved 2010-01-14{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Cite error: The named reference "daughters" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
39. http://greaterbostonteaparty.com/2010/01/massachusetts-special-senate-election-update/
40. "Boston Tea Party hosts Brown campaign fundraiser on January 2, 2010".
41. http://www.teapartyexpress.org/
42. "Tea Party Express Endorses Scott Brown for US Senate Massachusetts" (Press release). American Conservative Daily. January 9, 2010.
43. "Campaigns going strong as Kennedy seat race heads into final days". Boston Globe. January 13, 2010.
44. Politifact, http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/18/barack-obama/obama-says-browns-voting-record-not-independent/
45. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/us/politics/20text-brown.html?pagewanted=2
46. Stephanie Ebbert; Matt Viser (January 14, 2010). "Mass. Senate candidates clash on terrorism, bank bailout tax". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
47. Fouhy, Beth (January 16, 2010). "Mass. Senate candidate Brown bashes Obama bank tax". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
48. "Brown and Coakley clash over terror suspects' rights". Boston Globe. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
49. 96.9 Boston Talks podcast of the January 5, 2010 debate
50. ^ Pappas, Alex (January 19, 2010). "Where Senator-elect Scott Brown stands on issues — other than health care". The Daily Caller. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
51. Band, Gary (31 January 2007). "Wakefield son promoted to lieutenant colonel". The Wakfield Observer. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
52. "Senator Scott Brown Army Commendation Medal".
53. "Financial disclosure, April 2009" (PDF). Mass State Ethics commission.
54. Zillow real estate information, http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/33-Oceanview-Ave-Rye-NH-03870/86805237_zpid/
55. ^ Ashley Womble (September 22, 2009). "Senator Is the Centerfold". Cosmopolitan.com. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
56. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/20/massachusetts-election-scott-brown

External links

• Senator Scott P. Brown Massachusetts Senate website
• Senator Scott P. Brown U.S. Senate campaign website

• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• 2010 US Senate campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
• Follow the Money - Scott P. Brown
  • 2008 2006 2004 MA state senate campaign contributions
  • 2002 2000 1998 MA state house campaign contributions

v t e United States senators from Massachusetts
Class 1	Dalton Cabot Goodhue Mason Adams Lloyd Gore Ashmun Mellen Mills Webster Choate Webster Winthrop Rantoul Sumner Washburn Dawes Lodge Sr. Butler Walsh Lodge Jr. J. Kennedy Smith E. Kennedy Kirk Brown Warren
Class 2	Strong Sedgwick Dexter Foster Pickering Varnum Otis Lloyd Silsbee Davis Bates Davis Everett Rockwell Wilson Boutwell Hoar Crane J. Weeks Walsh Gillett Coolidge Lodge Jr. S. Weeks Saltonstall Brooke Tsongas Kerry Cowan Markey

• 1959 births
• Actors from Massachusetts
• American Christians
• American male models
• American television actors
• Boston College Law School alumni
• Living people
• Massachusetts Republicans
• Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
• Massachusetts State Senators
• Northeastern University, Boston alumni
• People from Norfolk County, Massachusetts
• Tufts University alumni