Scott Brown’s campaign says Democratic tweet is a slight to Springfield

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

A Democratic staffer following US Senator Scott Brown with a video camera, looking for the Republican candidate to commit a gaffe, may have stumbled into one of his own.

The staffer, Matt Cadwallader, was following Brown through Springfield Jan. 25, when he noted on his Twitter account: “Just saw a Ford Probe with gull-wing doors installed. Welcome to Springfield, MA.”

Cadwallader isn’t the most high profile member of the state Democratic Party, so it took a while for his comment to attract notice.

But Brown’s campaign accused him today of looking down his nose at the state’s third largest city, and called on Democrat Elizabeth Warren to apologize.

“This is a blatantly elitist statement,” Brown campaign spokesman Colin Reed said. “It’s unfortunate that Professor Warren’s campaign team have a low opinion of Western Massachusetts. For too long, the people of Springfield have been ignored and looked down upon by folks in Boston.”

For the record, a Ford Probe is a sports car that has been out of production for about 15 years. Gull-wing doors are the kind that are hinged at the roof, like the DeLorean car used in the “Back to Future” movies.

Democratic Party spokesman Kevin Franck responded that the tweet “was in no way meant as a slight to the people of Springfield.”

“Apparently ‘injecting levity’ into serious politics is something that only Scott Brown’s campaign is allowed to do,” he continued.