In Massachusetts, House Democrats Vie to Replace Kerry in Senate

BOSTON â€" Representative Stephen Lynch began his first day as a candidate for the Senate on Thursday by casting himself as a workingman of humble origins who could connect with average voters better than his fellow Democrat, Representative Edward J. Markey, whom he will face in a primary in April.

A new 60-second campaign video introduces Mr. Lynch, 57, a former ironworker from South Boston, to voters as someone who pulled himself up by the bootstraps.

“He has never forgotten where he came from,” the narrator says, noting that Mr. Lynch voted against the Wall Street bailout. The video ends with this tag line: “He’ll go to Washington to stand up, not fit in.”

In advace of a three-city announcement tour Thursday, Mr. Lynch indicated in a radio interview with WBUR that the workingman image was a central part of his campaign strategy.

He said he was running because he could bring that perspective to the exclusive Senate club. He described himself as having “slapped on a pair of work boots” and growing up in housing projects.

“I’ve struggled with a lot of the things that average people struggle with,” Mr. Lynch said, suggesting that Mr. Markey, 66, had not.

Mr. Lynch, who started in Congress in 2001, suggested that Mr. Markey’s 38 years in Washington had distanced him from average people.

“I’m not sure he’s ever had a connection with the private sector or worked at a job that most people relate to, and I think there’s something missing,” Mr. Lynch said of Mr. Markey. “I don’t think electing someone who’s been in! Washington for 38 years is going to provide that connection to average people.”

Mr. Markey has about $3 million saved up for the race as well as the backing of much of the Democratic establishment, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Mr. Lynch enters the race with about $750,000 on hand and no major endorsements.

Mr. Lynch indicated that he would try to use Mr. Markey’s “advantages” against him.

“I’m not going to try to purchase the election,” he said, “I’m going to try to earn it.”

As for Mr. Markey’s backing by the national Democrats, Mr. Lynch said he thought the people of Massachusetts would want to pick their own senator rather than have the Washington establishment pick it for them.

“Shame on us to allow someone to clear the field, box out all the other candidates and buy the election,” Mr. Lynch said in Springfield on Thursday morning as he began his announcement tour.

Mr. Lynch is the most conservative member of he state’s Congressional delegation and has a record of voting against abortion rights. Aware that most voters in deep-blue Massachusetts support abortion rights, Mr. Lynch suggested he would not try to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. “I’ve never viewed attacking Roe v. Wade as part of any solution, and I certainly wouldn’t do that in the United States Senate,” he said. He said he supported the use of birth control.

Mr. Markey released a statement in the afternoon, saying, “I welcome Stephen Lynch into the race for U.S. Senate.” He said he hoped Mr. Lynch would join him in a ! pledge to! discourage outside special interests from running expensive ads in the campaign.

He also indicated that his strategy against Mr. Lynch would be to emphasize his own more liberal voting record, which he believes is more in line with the state’s Democratic tradition.

“We need a senator who continues to stand up for the progressive values that John Kerry and Massachusetts believe in and who’s focused on creating the jobs our economy needs,” Mr. Markey said in his statement. “That’s why I’m running for Senate.”

The primary is set for April 30. So far, no Republican candidate has announced for the Senate seat, which was vacated this week by John Kerry upon his confirmation as secretary of state. Former Senator Scott P. Brown could be the Republican candidate for the special election, set for June 25, but he has not indicated his intentions.