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Scott P. Brown (R-Mass.)

U.S. Senator (since February 2010)

(Massachusetts State Senate)

Why He Matters

In one of the more stunning upsets in recent political memory, Brown won the Jan. 19, 2009 special election to replace the late-Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D) to become heavily Democratic Massachusetts' first GOP senator since 1972.

But his win had ramifications well beyond the Bay State as it coincided with Democrats heading into a perilous 2010 midterm election year. With Brown's victory over state Attorney General Martha Coakley, Democrats lost their filibuster-proof 60 seat Senate majority. Brown's win also seemed to put prospects for President Obama's health-care reform package in jeopardy, although the measure later passed.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Massachusetts State Senator (since 2004); Mass. State Representative (1999 to 2004); Lt. Col., Massachusetts National Guard; member, Judge Advocate General's Corps;
Hometown: Wakefield, Mass.
Alma Mater: Tufts University; Boston College, J.D.
Spouse: Gail Huff
State/District Office: State House, Boston, Mass. 02133, Phone: (617) 722-1555
Web site

Path to Power

Brown, born in 1959, grew up in Wakefield, Mass., and called his childhood rough. After his parents divorced (each remarried three times), he lived with his aunt and grandmother.

"I had a weird upbringing. . . . it wasn't the most stable home environment," he said.

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In a 2011 memoir, "Against all Odds," Brown recalled his less-than-perfect childhood, including an abusive stepfather and an incident when a 4th-grade camp counselor fondled him in the bathroom.

By 12, Brown began acting out. He was arrested for shoplifting, a moment he credits for changing his life. "One day I was out with some older kids. . . . I had a pair of farmer overalls, and I stuck some records in them. . . . I was walking out, and a guy caught me." He wrote an essay about how his siblings would feel if he were in jail as punishment.

Following the arrest, Brown devoted himself to school. He did well enough to get into Tufts University, where he played basketball, joined the National Guard, acted and modeled.

IAfter graduating from Tufts University in 1981, Brown moved to Boston College University to earn a law degree. In 1982, while at law school, Brown was named Cosmopolitan magazine's "America's Sexiest Man." This led to the now-infamous photo spread in which Brown posed nude. "You don't see anything," said Brown. "I was only thinking about paying for law school."

In 1985, he graduated from Boston College and started his own real-estate law firm.

Political Career

While living in Wrentham, Mass., Brown began his political career. In 1992, he became the town's accessor. After three years, he became a Wrentham selectman.

In 1999, Brown moved to the state level, becoming a representative in the Bay State's House. He continued in that role until 2004, when he decided to run for state Senate. After winning a special election, Brown became a rare breed in Massachusetts: A Republican. By the time he left the state Senate, Brown was one of 5 Repbulicans out of 40 members in the state body.

During his 11 years as a state congressman, Brown introduced 180 bills, two-thirds of which were repeat proposals. Only one of those bills became state law, while he voted with his GOP colleagues 90 percent of the time. The bill that got through the highly Democratic state senate allowed veterans to more easily claim a $1,000 "welcome home" check. He also succeeded in passing nine local measures, while serving as a representative.

2009 Senate Race

Brown calls himself a "Type A" personality and even competes in triathlons. In 2009, following the death of Kennedy, Brown decided to take his large personality and run for U.S. Senate. As late as September 2009, Brown trailed his opponent, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley by 30 points. But Coakley's lead soon dissipated, as Brown gained ground. By the day of the special election on January 19, 2009, Brown had become a narrow frontrunner. He won with 52 percent of the vote.

The Issues

Brown calls himself "fiscally conservative and socially conscious" and has taken nuanced stands on such things as abortion rights and the environment. He has received 100 percent ratings from the Massachusetts Audobon Society while opposing same-sex marriage, and promoting a state ballot amendment to make that practice unconstitional.

He got himself into trouble when he said it was "not normal" for former state Sen. Jacques (whom he replaced in that body) and her partner to have children. He apologized for what he said was poor wording. He does favor civil unions.

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Health Care

In 2006, Brown supported Massachusetts' health-care overhaul under then-Gov. Mitt Romney (R). The 2006 reform called for an individual mandate that required every person to purchase insurance while also providing ways to cover nearly everyone in the state.

However, Brown declared that he wouldn't back either the House or Senate health-care proposals being considered after his 2009 election, saying they were too expensive and helped other states at Massachusetts's expense.

Brown's election broke the Democrats' filibuster-proof Senate majority, and threw the passage of health-reform legislation, which had seemed like a lock, into jeopardy.

But Democrats used a tactic called budget reconcilation to avoid a republican filibuster of the legislation with only a 50-vote simple majority. Though Republicans complained about the manuever, in the end, Brown's election couldn't stop health-care reform.

Abortion Rights

Brown supports a woman's right to choose, but with restrictions. He doesn't support late-term abortions and wants to ad caveats in certain cases.

"Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and I don't plan on overturning it, but I've always felt that, you know, I'm against partial-birth abortions and believe in parental consent, a strong parental notification law,'' said Brown.

Brown also said he would not use abortion rights as a litmus test in confirming U.S. Supreme Court nominees.

Waterboarding

Brown decried the decision to try in civilian court the attempted bomber of a Northwest Airline flight to Detroit, Mich. on Christmas Day 2009. He believed that the military should have had a chance to interrogate attempted bomber Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. In order to gather as much intelligence as possible, Brown says the military should have questioned Mutallab, and, if necessary, used enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding.

"We are at war. When somebody comes over and tries to kill American citizens and says he is a member of al-Qaeda, he is not a criminal. He is an enemy combatant," said Brown in January 2010. "We have to draw that line and make sure we make that distinction."

"Waterboarding is an enhanced interrogating technique. We need to interrogate by all legal means," said Brown.

The Network

Brown is married to Gail Huff, a prominent WCVB-TV reporter, and his daughter, Ayla, was a 2006 American Idol finalist and is a star basketball player at Boston College.

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