Rep. Ayanna Pressley disappointed some liberals this week when she broke with the rest of “the squad” and endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president. The other three freshmen Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan all endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in recent weeks.
Pressley’s endorsement of Warren, her fellow Massachusetts Democrat, drew ire from leftists as she snubbed the only self-described socialist running for the Democratic nomination. Even though Pressley and Sanders have plenty of agreement on core issues, Pressley may have an ulterior motive in endorsing Warren: a Senate seat.
If Warren earns her party’s nomination and beats President Trump in the 2020 presidential election, she will have to give up her Senate seat to take the job as president. This will trigger a special election to fill Warren’s seat within 145-160 days, which means Pressley could run to fill the Warren vacancy.
Here’s how it would work.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is a liberal Republican, so he would likely nominate a liberal Republican as the placeholder for about five months. That actually helps Pressley, by ensuring Baker’s appointee won’t run in the Democratic Senate primary.
Democrats would then hold a party primary to pick their candidate for the special general election (the Republicans might also hold a primary if Baker’s appointee declines to run or draws a challenger). Pressley would face off against other Democratic candidates, perhaps Rep. Joe Kennedy III (who’s now running for Senate against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey) or Rep. Seth Moulton (who ran for the 2020 presidential nomination but dropped out). Other prominent Massachusetts politicians or local names might join the race as well.
Pressley has two advantages at earning the Democratic nomination in a Massachusetts Senate race: She is the only minority woman representing one of Massachusetts’s nine congressional districts, and she is the furthest Left of the bunch.
A Democrat would likely win such a special election, as Markey defeated Gabriel Gomez in 2013 when John Kerry became secretary of state. But if Republicans pull off another Scott Brown-type miracle, Massachusetts is such a reliably blue state that when the seat is up for reelection in 2024, it would surely go to a Democrat in a high-turnout presidential election year.
By putting her support behind Warren and not Sanders, Pressley put herself in a good spot, if, God forbid, Warren becomes president. After all, Warren could return the favor and endorse Pressley in the primary, helping her to victory. Though it’s worth mentioning that some of Pressley’s potential primary opponents such as Kennedy, Markey, or Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey have all endorsed Warren too.
This brings up another reason Pressley’s endorsement of Warren shouldn’t be surprising. Politicians routinely endorse their in-state brethren who are running for president.
Members of Congress from New Jersey endorsed Sen. Cory Booker for president and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro has heavy support from the Democrats in the Texas state House with Beto O’Rourke out of the race. Former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart backs Sen. Michael Bennet, former Vice President Walter Mondale supports Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis also endorsed Elizabeth Warren.
Sure, Pressley has lots in common with Sanders and Warren, and her endorsement of Warren may just be about boosting fellow Massachusetts politicians. But don’t disregard the possibility that Pressley’s motives may not be pure and that she could be angling for a Senate seat.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a freelance writer who has been published with USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Federalist, and a number of other media outlets.
