Markey, Gomez to face off for Massachusetts Senate

BOSTON -- Businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez and veteran Rep. Edward Markey will face each other in a special election for the Senate seat previously held by John Kerry.

In primaries yesterday, Markey won the Democratic nomination and Gomez won the Republican nod, according to unofficial returns.

Markey defeated fellow Rep. Stephen Lynch. Gomez won a three-way primary against former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and state Rep. Daniel Winslow.

Markey has served in the House since 1976 and is the dean of the state's congressional delegation. He had the early backing of Kerry, who resigned from the Senate to become secretary of state.

Gomez is a newcomer to politics. He's the son of Colombian immigrants and learned English in kindergarten. He became a Navy pilot and SEAL, earned an MBA at Harvard and launched a private equity career.

The June 25 special election will be the state's second for the Senate in four years. Turnout was light for the primary, overshadowed by the deadly Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three people and injured hundreds, and forced the candidates to temporarily suspend their campaigns.

-- AP