Republicans should not automatically assume Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R) is going to be the upper chamber's 41st vote on every piece of legislation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, published Friday, the Senate's newest member stressed he would form his own positions on important issues, independent of his party's stated thinking.



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He added he already informed top GOP leaders of this, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who replied he "understood," Brown said.

“I already told them, you know, ‘I got here with the help of a close group of friends and very little help from anyone down there, so there’ll be issues when I’ll be with you and there are issues when I won’t be with you,”’ Brown told the AP. “So, I just need to look at each vote and then make a proper analysis and then decide.”

Indeed, few lawmakers would announce before assuming office they plan to support their party on every vote that reaches the chamber floor.



But Brown's line on Friday is especially interesting, given that he campaigned on the premise he would be the GOP's "41st vote" on such important issues as healthcare reform. At one point, Brown reportedly included the number '41' in his autographs -- a habit that McConnell later praised.



"This is a man who understands how the Senate operates," McConnell previously told the Christian Science Monitor.

















