Senator John Kerry cruised to victory today in Massachusetts, winning about 66 percent of the vote in his matchup with Republican Jeff Beatty. From the Boston Globe:

Four years after coming up short in his bid for the presidency, John F. Kerry settled today for a return trip to the United States Senate, easily defeating a little-noticed GOP challenger to earn a fifth term.

“I am humbled to receive the support of voters from Williamstown to Provincetown and every city and town in between, and I promise to continue to prove worthy of your confidence in me over the next six years,” Kerry said in a statement released soon after the polls closed. “I have always been honored to represent the people of Massachusetts, and I can’t wait to return to Washington with my friend Ted Kennedy by my side and continue to deliver for you and your families.”

The race between Kerry and Jeffrey K. Beatty, a counterterrorism expert, never gained much traction, with the incumbent focusing much of his political might on helping Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama win New Hampshire.

And even before the first vote was cast, speculation had already turned to how much of his term Kerry would actually serve, with both Beatty and Kerry’s Democratic primary opponent suggesting he was pining for a Cabinet post should Obama win the presidential race.

Is John Kerry poised to take a cabinet post in the Obama Administration. Secretary of State? Secretary of Defense? The movement towards potential cabinet positions may provide some great political theatre in Massachusetts. The presidential election is close to over, but the political gamesmanship is about to begin.