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Rep. Capuano discusses decision to not seek Kerry's seat

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – Back in November, Mike Capuano was open to the possibility of running for John Kerry's seat, and some of his fellow Democrats liked the idea; however, that all changed a couple of weeks after Congressman Ed Markey got into the race.

FOX 25's Sharman Sacchetti sat down with Congressman Capuano on Tuesday to discuss his decision to back out of the race, leaving Markey and Congressman Stephen Lynch as the Democratic picks.

Markey is the one with the most money, the support of Kerry, Vicki Kennedy, and a good portion of lawmakers leaving many wondering if Capuano was steamrolled out of the running.

"What changed? Nothing changed. When I say I'm interested in something that just means I'll think about it. And I think everybody's the same," says Capuano. "When I look at job changes, career changes, dramatic challenges to your life, well interesting let me think about it. So for me, it just was the beginning of a process. And it's a process I've been through a lot of times."

"Were you pushed out of the way? Were you pressured to get out?" Sacchetti asked.

"No not at all. Look. Anyone who knows me, knows that the worst thing you can do, the most useless thing you can do to me on anything, is to try to pressure me into anything. I grew up in Somerville. I'm a street kid. It's just not the way to make a decision… usually I get the opposite reaction," Capuano responded.

"Why not fight back? And run?" Sacchetti said.

"I do fight back. In my own way," Capuano explained. "But I'm not going to fight back. I didn't want to run in this race for my own family reasons, for my own personal reasons. And I'm not going to sacrifice my family and friends and my supporters just to get even with somebody. That's ridiculous. That's selfish as heck and I would never do that."

Capuano told Sacchetti that he never had support of the establishment in any election and never had the "so-called power brokers" in his corner, but he says that's nothing new and that he never seeks it.

"I've never been appreciative, ever, of big shots trying to tell people who to vote for," said Capuano. "And it sounds like that National Party is coalescing around Ed Markey…They're entitled to do that. Ed Markey's a good candidate, but is that good for Massachusetts voters? To have the National Party just putting up a candidate?"

Capuano answered his own question and said he didn't think it was good or bad. Voters will take everything into consideration when selecting the proper candidate to lead the Commonwealth and the people

"I can't remember the last time an anointed person won a statewide race from either party. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Doesn't mean it won't happen. It just means it's one of a million factors that go into these things," Capuano said.

Capuano added that he will endorse whoever is chosen as the Democratic nominee.