Mass. U.S. Senate election: Scott Brown

Senator Scott Brown is the incumbent Republican senator running against Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren. Brown assumed office in 2010.

Brown was born in Kittery, Maine in 1959 to parents Judith and Claude Brown. His parents divorced with he was one year old and both parents have remarried three times since. Brown grew up in Wakefield and spent summers in Newburyport where his father was a city councilor for 18 years.

Brown grew up in a broken home and endured sexual abuse from a camp counselor which he did not reveal until his autobiography, “Against All Odds.” He said he also experienced physical abuse from his stepfathers. Various times during his childhood, Brown lived with his grandparents and aunt. He was arrested for stealing when he was a teenager.

Brown graduated Wakefield High School in 1977 and went on to attend Tufts University where he graduated from in 1981. He earned his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School in 1985.

Brown joined the Army National Guard and has been an active member for about 30 years and has risen to the rank of colonel.

In 1995, Brown was elected to Wrentham Board of Selectmen and in 1998 successfully ran for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He won a special election to replace Democratic Senator Cheryl Jacques in 2004 and was reelected in 2006 and 2008.

Scott Brown on the issues: “America is a great country, but we face very serious challenges that we need to solve if we’re going to pass on a better, brighter and stronger nation to our kids and grandkids. The most pressing issue before us is getting the economy moving again. Our national unemployment rate is still unacceptably high. Millions of Americans remain out of work, or are stuck in part-time jobs when they would prefer full-time employment. Middle-class families are hurting as they struggle to make ends meet. They’re worried about their future, and that of their children and grandchildren.” -- taken from Scott Brown’s official page.