Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, is poised to become next Massachusetts Senate president.
BOSTON - State Senate majority leader Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, has claimed victory in the contest to be the next president of the Massachusetts Senate.
The only other candidate for the position was state Sen. Stephen Brewer, D-Barre.
“I am pleased to confirm that on July 30 I received the overwhelming support of the Democratic caucus to succeed Senate President Therese Murray when her term ends," Rosenberg wrote on his website.
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With 36 Democrats and four Republicans in the Senate, caucus support is tantamount to election.
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“I am humbled that my colleagues are willing to entrust me with the presidency of the Massachusetts Senate, “ he said.
Rosenberg would be the first Senate president from Western Massachusetts since Holyoke-born Maurice A. Donahue, who held the job 1964 to1971.
David Bartley, also of Holyoke, was the last speaker of the House from Western Massachusetts. He held the post from 1969 to 1975.
Murray has not said whether she will seek re-election in 2014. Under Senate rules, she could be elected president once more and serve until March 2015.
Many on Beacon Hill suspect she will leave earlier, however.
Earlier this year, Murray appointed Rosenberg, 63, Senate majority leader.
The move to become president began shortly after that.
Many members “approached me and hoped I would stay around and run for Senate president when her tenure was over,” Rosenberg said Wednesday. “It mushroomed. Members started talking to each other.”
Brewer, who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, was also interested in the presidency. “We met Monday evening. He congratulated me,” Rosenberg said.
In a statement, Brewer wished Rosenberg "all the best."
“I have known Stan Rosenberg for over 35 years," Brewer wrote. "We have had similar career paths and shared a common region of the commonwealth. I know Stan will do a fine job as Senate President when that time comes. I admire Senate President Murray as a colleague and a friend and look forward to her continued leadership. Our caucus should remain united."
Rosenberg in turn praised Brewer as “a dedicated public servant, a personal friend, and a man of great professional honor. “
Rosenberg wrote he is “particularly grateful to Senate President Murray, the first woman in our history to hold this position. I appreciate her friendship, her integrity, the skillful leadership that she shows, and will continue to show, as President of the Senate.
Rosenberg won his first election, to the state House of Representatives, in 1986, succeeding Democrat James G. Collins, who did not seek re-election.
In 1991 Rosenberg ran successfully for the Senate seat of John W. Olver, who was elected to Congress and served until 2013.
In 2011, Rosenberg was diagnosed with cancer. Treatment that involved radiation and chemotherapy kept him from Beacon Hill for a few months, but he has since returned to a full schedule.
He came out as a gay man in a newspaper column about liberty published July 4, 2009. He has been a strong advocate for the University of Massachusetts, from which he graduated. He has often talked about his experiences as a child in the foster care system as well.
With the election nearly a year and half away, “we’re back to business as usual," Rosenberg said. "We can’t distract from the body.”