All 5 US Senate hopefuls back anti-violence bill

BOSTON (AP) - A bill designed to curb violence against women is winning bipartisan support from the state's U.S. Senate hopefuls.

All five Republican and Democratic candidates say they support the Violence Against Women Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama on Thursday.

Republican Daniel Winslow said as a former judge he was confronted with the reality of domestic violence and would have voted for the bill. GOP hopeful Gabriel Gomez also backed the bill.

An aide to Republican candidate Michael Sullivan said that as a former prosecutor Sullivan worked to protect citizens from violence and is glad the bill was approved.

Both Democratic Senate hopefuls — Congressmen Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch — have also supported the bill.

They both praised the U.S. House last month for passing the Senate version of bill after rejecting a GOP version.