Great Scott! Sen. Brown Officially Takes Seat A Week Ahead of Schedule

It's official! Sen. Scott Brown (D-MA) has been sworn in as the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts (5:14 pm ET). The event marks the end of the Democratic supermajority and is the first time since 1953 that a Republican has held the seat.

February 11 was the original date Brown was supposed to be sworn into office. However, the Senator-Elect urged a rush on the certification, so that he doesn't miss anymore key votes. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed the certification of election 9:30 am (ET) today, thus allowing Brown to be seated today.

Sen. Brown has only missed one vote because he wasn't sworn in yet - the confirmation of Fed Chief Ben Bernanke. It is likely that Brown's first vote could be the jobs package touted by Barack Obama during his State of the Union address. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced earlier today that the job legislation will likely be up for a vote this Monday.

Brown shocked the country when he pulled out a victory against heavily favored Martha Coakley who was ahead in the polls by nearly 20 point just a month earlier.

Critics of Scott Brown often reference his centerfold appearance in Cosmo magazine in 1982 when he was a 22-year-old law student at Boston College. "Centerfold" has turned into "Center Stage" as the former state senator and National Guard Lieutenant Colonel takes the seat held by Ted Kennedy since 1962.