Scott Brown (politician)

Scott Philip Brown (born September 12, 1959) is an American diplomat, attorney, and politician who served as the United States ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. He is a former United States senator from Massachusetts (2010–2013), and also was the 2014 Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. Before his Senate tenure, Brown served as a member of the Massachusetts General Court, first in the State House of Representatives (1998–2004) and then in the State Senate (2004–2010).

In 2010, Brown faced Democratic candidate Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in a special election which occurred after the 2009 death of longtime Senator Ted Kennedy. While initially trailing Coakley by a large margin, Brown saw a sudden late surge and posted a come-from-behind win to become the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts since Edward Brooke in 1972. Brown ran for a full Senate term in 2012, but lost to Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren. After his defeat, Brown joined the board of directors of Kadant paper company, joined Fox News as a commentator, and joined Nixon Peabody where he provided legal services.

After re-establishing residence in New Hampshire, Brown then campaigned for the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire in the 2014 election. Brown won the Republican nomination by a significant margin, but was narrowly defeated by incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in the general election. In 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

From January to August 2021, Brown served as dean of New England Law Boston, a private law school. In April 2022, Brown became head of The Competitiveness Coalition, a newly formed conservative coalition group.