Gabriel Gómez, 47, lost by a 55%-45% margin to 18-term Congressman Ed Markey.
By Raisa Camargo
Hispanic Link Report
Despite his June 25 U.S. Senate special election loss to 18-term Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey, Gabriel Gómez’s political future looks “very bright,” says GOP National Congressional Committee chairman Greg Walden.
A former Navy Seal, Gómez, 47, lost by a 55%-45% margin in the heavily Democratic state.
Waldon, of Oregon, is quoted in Capitol Hill’s Politico as calling Gómez a viable full-term Senate foe against Markey in 2014 when the seat is up again, or a strong contender for the state’s 9th Congressional District.
Markey raised more than $7.6 million and garnered $4.6 million in outside spending in the June Senate race. Gómez was able to raise $2.3 million and attained $1.6 million in outside spending. The low turnout gave Markey a 54.8% advantage with 642,988 votes vs. Gómez’s 44.8%, with 525,080 votes.
The businessman-son of Colombian immigrants appealed to independents, but lagged in Republican support. “As a new kind of Republican,” Gómez often said that if elected he would not follow the usual
ideological pack. In his concession speech, he indicated the loss wouldn’t spell the end of his political career.
“In the military you learn that not every fight’s a fair fight. Sometimes you face overpowering force. We were massively overspent,” Gómez said. “In the face of defeat, you outta be able to look yourself in the mirror and know we fought with honor and integrity.”
Hispanic Link Report is a media partner of CTLatinoNews.com.