WESTFIELD, MA (WSHM) -
As the special election for U.S. Senate approaches in Massachusetts, residents are getting a grasp on who will be running for former Sen. John Kerry's seat.
On the Democratic side, it looks like two U.S. Congressmen, Rep. Ed Markey and Rep. Stephen Lynch, will square off.
The Republican side is still being sorted out, but one man in the running is state Rep. Dan Winslow.
During his speech at Saturday's Lincoln Day brunch, Winslow stressed that he is a Western Mass native.
"I'm the only candidate in the U.S. Senate race that comes from Western Massachusetts," said Winslow. "I was born in Northampton and raised in Amherst. Western Massachusetts has the opportunity in this race, with a small turnout in a special election, to be the deciding factor."
Winslow is in his second term as state representative for Norfolk, a town southwest of Boston. A lawyer by trade, and having been a judge at one time, Winslow believes he can help end the partisanship in Washington, DC.
"I am a proven bipartisan problem solver," Winslow stated. "I have gotten things done, rolled up my sleeves. I reach across the aisle. No one party has a monopoly on good ideas. We have got to get the job done and put America over party."
When CBS 3 exclusively spoke with former Sen. Scott Brown this past Sunday, he said the special election is a sprint - one that a Republican candidate can win.
Winslow agrees.
"It is a very winnable race," said Winslow. "We have to get people down to Washington and I hope to be that person to make a difference, to bring new ideas, new thinking and new solutions to fix America and break the gridlock."
Candidates wanting to be on the ballot for the upcoming U.S. Senate primaries need to turn in their 10,000 signatures by Feb. 27.
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