Warren wins closely watched U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts

Elizabeth Warren was declared the winner of U.S. Senate race on Tuesday evening (photo public domain)

U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday evening won her bid to unseat Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in one of the most highly watched Senate races in the election season.

Warren, the former chair of the congressional watchdog group overseeing the 2008 bank bailout, was declared the winner in the race at about 9:45, or a little more than 90 minutes after polls closed in Massachusetts.

In an interview with the Washington Blade in March, Warren pledged to lead on LGBT issues in the Senate and cited repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act as among her priorities. She was among the voices who called on President Obama to complete his evolution on same-sex marriage before he ultimately made the announcement in support of marriage equality in Mat. Warren’s election means she’ll hold the seat once held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Jerame Davis, executive director of National Stonewall Democrats, commended Warren and said she’d be supporter of LGBT rights in the Senate. His organization publicly backed Warren as part of its second round of endorsements.

“Elizabeth Warren is a progressive powerhouse and an unwavering ally of the LGBT community and we were proud to endorse her campaign,” Davis said. “Restoring the seat held by the late Ted Kennedy to Democratic control and returning the bold progressive voice of the state of Massachusetts to the U.S. Senate makes this victory even sweeter.”

Brown was endorsed by National Log Cabin Republicans and GOProud. He was among the senators who voted in favor of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but hasn’t been a strong voice in support of DOMA repeal or other LGBT issues.

Other Democratic wins in the U.S. Senate prior to the announcement of Warren’s victory included the re-election of U.S. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly in Indiana.