The Race is On

Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia and an outspoken advocate for federal labor unions, is apparently ready to throw his hat into the ring to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. According to the Boston Globe, the legislator from South Boston has taken out the paperwork to run in the January special election.

Lynch -- whose mother worked for the Postal Service and who was president of the Massachusetts Ironworkers Union before going to law school -- has strong ties to federal worker groups, and has been involved in many of the recent fights in Congress over federal workforce issues, such as domestic partnership benefits and whether Transportation Security Employees can wear face masks to protect against the swine flu.

For more about Lynch, you can read Alyssa's profile of rising lawmakers who are focused on the federal workforce.