Republican Scott Brown took his oath of office as a new US senator on Thursday. The Massachusetts senator will take the seat once held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Gail Huff, Brown’s wife, along with Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, accompanied the senator during the ceremony conducted by Vice President Joe Biden, who also serves as the Senate President.
Brown thanked his voters who gave him the 19 January special election victory, which marks the first Republican win for the state since 1972. The victory may pose a threat for Democrats who are pushing for the Health Care bill to be passed. Democrats also fear a GOP landslide in the coming midterm elections.
“I can’t promise I’ll be right in every vote I make. I’m sure I’ll make mistakes from time to time,” said Brown. “But I will try to learn and grow and do the very best job I can on a day-to-day basis.”
Brown opposes President Barack Obama’s spending plan, saying the $862 billion stimulus bill “didn’t create one new job” last year. He also wants bipartisan talks on health care to take place, but he would consider a measure as long as it is beneficial.
“If I see a bill that’s good for my state first, I don’t care where it comes from,” he said. “If it’s good for Massachusetts, I’ll consider it.”
Brown was initially scheduled to take his oath on 11 February, but according to Atty. Daniel Winslow, Brown wanted his “certification to occur immediately.”
The certification was completed on Thursday and Brown officially took his seat on the same day. The senator explained that “there’s no hidden agenda” as to why he wanted to rush the certification. “It’s because I want to get to work.”
