“Voter Turnout May Be High For Brown-Coakley Race”
“Voter turnout is expected to be high Tuesday for the special election to fill the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.
A win by Republican Scott Brown over one-time front-runner Martha Coakley would eliminate Democrats’ 60-seat supermajority in the Senate and likely kill President Obama’s overhaul of health care.
The last time Massachusetts elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate was 1972.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Commonwealth, 3-1.
If Coakley wins, she would be the first woman elected to the Senate from Massachusetts.”
“TURNOUT EXPECTED TO BE HIGH
Massachsuetts Secretary of State William Galvin told WBZ he expects about 40-percent of voters to turn out for the special election.
Galvin said about 800,000 came out for the primaries and he believes that should double to 1.6 million based on the intense interest in this campaign.
WBZ TV Boston is asking those voting to provide feedback.
“Help be our eyes and ears at the polls. We’re not asking who you voted for… but we ARE interested in:
What was it like at your polling place? Were there lines, or not a soul in sight? How about campaign supporters? Lots of people with signs (for which candidates), or none at all? What was the buzz of voters? Turned off by negative ads and robocalls?”
“GOP Hopeful Riding Voter Anger in Kennedy Seat Bid”
“BOSTON — Republican Scott Brown is surfing a wave of voter frustration with President Barack Obama that has helped propel the once low-profile Massachusetts state senator from long shot to contender in the race to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Edward Kennedy’s death.
Brown’s meteoric rise caught nearly everyone off-guard, particularly Democratic Party leaders who assumed their candidate, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, would have a cakewalk to the U.S. Capitol after winning a four-way primary in November.
They hadn’t counted on voters like Luis Rodriguez.
The 46-year-old plastics factory supervisor, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1988 from Uruguay and became a citizen last year, said he’s fed up with what he calls the lies told by Washington. It’s enough for him that Coakley supports Obama, who Rodriguez says has failed to make good on his pledge for openness.
“We don’t buy what we can’t afford. We don’t spend what we don’t have,” said Rodriguez, echoing the anger expressed by other voters who say Democrats are too eager to bail out bankers and people who bought homes they couldn’t afford. “These people, what they’re doing now, they’re spending money they don’t have so they can get elected again.”
Despite the Bay State’s liberal reputation, some Massachusetts voters are also chafing at the idea that just because the Senate seat had been held by Kennedy for 47 years, it should automatically go to a Democratic successor.”
“”It’s socialism. It starts with health care. It starts with the government bailouts,” said Johnson, 43, who’s retired from the military. “I work for a living and I see more and more of my money going to people who sit home and don’t do it. I’m all for helping people out, but I like keeping what I earn.”
In addition to showing a dead heat between Brown and Coakley, a Suffolk University poll last week of 500 likely voters also revealed unhappiness with Massachusetts’ landmark health care law, which has been used in part as the blueprint for the national health care overhaul. Close to two-thirds of those polled said the state cannot afford the health care system.”
This article will be updated during the day today.
The final debate of the MA Senate race will take place tonight, January 18, 2010 .
From Fox News.
“Turnout Critical in Tight Massachusetts Senate Race”
“Both sides say turnout will be key in a race that could decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Obama campaigned Sunday for Democrat Martha Coakley.”
“BOSTON – Democrats and Republicans ramped up election eve get-out-the-vote efforts in their close battle for a Massachusetts Senate seat that could decide the fate of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and the rest of his agenda at the opening of the 2010 midterm campaign season.
Obama needs newly embattled Martha Coakley to win Tuesday’s special election for the late Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat and deny Republicans the ability to block his initiatives with a 41st filibuster-sustaining GOP vote.
The president campaigned here Sunday with Coakley, who has seen the double-digit lead she had two weeks ago evaporate under a strong challenge by Republican state Sen. Scott Brown.
Voter turnout is normally low in special elections, but even in staunchly Democratic Massachusetts, apprehension about Obama’s health care overhaul is fueling a huge wave of populist support for Brown.
Polls show that independents, who make up 51 percent of the state’s electorate, have responded enthusiastically to Brown. His campaign is targeting them as well Republicans, who are outnumbered by Democrats 3-to-1 in the Bay State.”
MA Senate debate, Monday, January 18, 2010, Scott Brown, Martha Coakley, Joseph L. Kennedy
**** Update January 18, 2010, 1:50 PM ****
From Fox News
“Voter Enthusiasm a Problem for Coakley, Polls Suggest”
“A new poll out of Public Policy Polling on Monday underscored the depth of Coakley’s challenge.
The poll showed Brown leading 51-46 overall, 64-32 among independents and winning 20 percent of the vote from those who backed Obama in 2008. On the flip side, the survey showed Coakley pulling just 4 percent of the vote from those who backed John McCain, in the 2008 presidential race.
And the poll reflected the enthusiasm gap from which Coakley suffers. Eighty percent of Brown supporters said they were “very excited” about Tuesday’s election, while only 60 percent of Coakley supporters felt the same way.”
“White House Predicts Martha Coakley Will Lose Tuesday’s Election”
**** Update January 18, 2010, 4:45 PM ****
**** Update January 18, 2010, 6:20 PM ****
From CNN Political Ticker
“Poll: Brown makes gains in Mass. Senate Race”
” A new poll released Monday afternoon indicates that Republican Scott Brown has a 7-point edge over Democrat Martha Coakley in Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts for the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s seat.
According to an American Research Group survey, 52 percent of likely voters back Brown, a state senator, with 45 percent supporting Coakley, the state’s attorney general. Meanwhile, 2 percent back Joseph Kennedy, a third party candidate who is not related to the late senator. The 7-point advantage for Brown is just within the poll’s sampling error.”
“A new InsiderAdvantage poll conducted exclusively for POLITICO shows Republican Scott Brown surging to a 9-point advantage over Martha Coakley a day before Massachusetts voters trek to the ballot box to choose a new senator.
According to the survey conducted Sunday evening, Brown leads the Democratic attorney general 52 percent to 43 percent.
“I actually think the bottom is falling out,” said InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery, referring to Coakley’s fall in the polls over the last ten days. “I think that this candidate is in freefall. Clearly this race is imploding for her.””
Read more:
“Scott Brown campaigns in Middleboro on Saturday night
More than 500 supporters attend event”
“MIDDLEBORO — Scott Brown pulled into Everett Square on Saturday night and spoke from the back of a pickup truck to more than 500 supporters.
The crowd filled the Flat Iron Cafe and even spilled out into the square, filling the parking lot of the Rockland Trust Bank.
Brown spoke briefly to the crowd and was greeted with cheers and chants as he outlined his platform and said.
“You deserve better. … When I go to Washington, I will do my very best to stop backroom deals. We’ve lost our way,” he told the crowd.
Brown spent more time on the ground shaking hands with the crowd, which was a cross section of steel workers, farmers, doctors and the unemployed.
Many, like David Ng of Pembroke, had already voted by absentee ballot. Ng said his vote was against “everything the Democrats try to ram down our throats.””
“Brown’s stand on taxes and creating jobs was a high priority for Voneow. Bill is out of work, and the couple is trying to make ends meet on one paycheck.
“He stands for working like a true Republican instead of feeding special interests. He’s the guy I think can help us,” said Bill.”
“Her husband, Norman, 88, a former member of the Planning Board had already voted for Brown by absentee ballot. Their son, Douglas, said he supports Brown because “he’ll take the reigns of government back from socialist concerns.”
Many in the crowd said the election has national ramifications, calling it a vote that will be heard around the world.”
While Obama was campaigning for Martha Coakley in Boston this afternoon, January 17, 2010, Scott Brown was campaigning in Worcester, MA.
From the Boston Herald.
“Energized Brown mocks desperate Dems”
“GOP upstart state Sen. Scott Brown took aim at Democratic opponent Attorney General Martha Coakley’s presidential bailout this afternoon, telling a packed hall of rowdy supporters he would stay connected to them and not embrace Washington, D.C. insiders.
“They put in a distress call to Washington, and the next thing you know, Air Force One is landing at Logan,” Brown said of President Obama’s Boston visit today. “The party bosses gave the president some bad information. This Senate seat belongs to no one person and no one political party, it belongs to the people of Massachusetts.”
Brown, bolstered by a last-minute campaign surge in the polls, reminded the crowd of over 2,000 people that he is their candidate.
“I’m Scott Brown, I’m from Wrentham, I drive a truck and I’m asking for your vote,” he said. Then he referenced Obama’s come-from-behind presidential campaign. “After all, who ever heard of a guy from Wrentham getting elected to the U.S. Senate? But as the president might remember, upsets like that have been known to happen.”
Brown was serenaded by his daughter, former “American Idol” semi-finalist Ayla Brown, backslapped by Red Sox [team stats] ace pitcher Curt Schilling [stats], and pumped up by former “Cheers” know-it-all John Ratzenberger during the electric rally.”
On January 10, 2010, this blog reported:
“Given the MA statutes, state ethics laws and the precedent of swearing in Representative Niki Tsongas one day after the election, the Democrats have a major problem trying to perpetrate another illegal act, especially after they have advertised it ahead of time.” Will MA Democrats try to delay Scott Brown certification?
Now we learn that temporary MA Senator Paul Kirk can’t vote for the Health Care Bill after next Tuesday.
From The Weekly Standard, January 16, 2010.
“Kirk Can’t Vote After Tuesday
GOP lawyers say Paul Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day.”
“Appointed Senator Paul Kirk will lose his vote in the Senate after Tuesday’s election in Massachusetts of a new senator and cannot be the 60th vote for Democratic health care legislation, according to Republican attorneys.
Kirk has vowed to vote for the Democratic bill even if Republican Scott Brown is elected but not yet certified by state officials and officially seated in the Senate. Kirk’s vote is crucial because without the 60 votes necessary to stop a Republican filibuster, the bill will be defeated.
This would be a devastating loss for President Obama and congressional Democrats. The bill, dubbed ObamaCare, is the centerpiece of the president’s agenda. Brown has campaigned on becoming the 41st vote against ObamaCare.
But in the days after the election, it is Kirk’s status that matters, not Brown’s. Massachusetts law says that an appointed senator remains in office “until election and qualification of the person duly elected to fill the vacancy.” The vacancy occurred when Senator Edward Kennedy died in August. Kirk was picked as interim senator by Governor Deval Patrick.
Democrats in Massachusetts have talked about delaying Brown’s “certification,” should he defeat Democrat Martha Coakley on Tuesday. Their aim would be to allow Kirk to remain in the Senate and vote the health care bill.
But based on Massachusetts law, Senate precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, Republican attorneys said Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day, period. Brown meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements in the Constitution to qualify for the Senate. “Qualification” does not require state “certification,” the lawyers said.”
From American Research Group, January 15, 2010. Scott Brown leads Martha Coakley in the MA Senate race 48% to 45%.
“January 15, 2010 – Massachusetts US Senate
Massachusetts US Senate
1/14/2010
Brown
Coakley
Kennedy
Undecided
Likely voters
48%
45%
2%
5%
Registration:
Democrats (44%)
20%
71%
1%
8%
Republicans (20%)
94%
1%
–
5%
Unenrolled/
Other (36%)
58%
37%
4%
1%
Sex:
Men (47%)
54%
39%
2%
5%
Women (53%)
44%
50%
2%
4%
Age:
18-49 (43%)
52%
42%
2%
4%
50 plus (57%)
46%
47%
1%
6%
Republican Scott Brown leads Democrat Martha Coakley 48% to 45% in the special Massachusetts US Senate race to replace Senator Ted Kennedy in a telephone survey conducted January 12-14 among 600 likely voters in Massachusetts saying they will definitely vote in the special election on January 19.
Brown leads Coakley 94% to 1% among registered Republicans and he leads 58% to 37% among unenrolled voters. Coakley leads Brown 71% to 20% among registered Democrats. A total of 8% of Democrats and 5% of Republicans remain undecided.
Brown leads 54% to 39% among men while Coakley leads 50% to 44% among women.
Brown leads 52% to 42% among likely voters age 18 to 49 and Coakley leads 47% to 46% among voters 50 and older.
A total of 9% of likely voters say they have already voted by absentee ballot, with Brown leading Coakley 58% to 42%.”
Scott Brown and Martha Coakley campaigning Saturday, January 16, 2010
From Fox News Boston.
“Coakley counts on union muscle to win Senate race”
“Democrat Martha Coakley is counting on union muscle to help her win Tuesday’s U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.
She kicked off the final weekend of campaigning Saturday with a stop at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall in Boston to encourage a group of canvassers.”
“Brown Leads Coakley 58-42 in Absentee Ballots– Coakley Losing 1 in 5 Dems to Brown …BIG UPDATE: BROWN PRESS CONFERENCE- PRESSING CHARGES AGAINST DEM PARTY”
“One in five democrats in Massachusetts is going with Scott Brown.
And, there’s more bad news for democrat Martha Coakley…
Scott Brown is leading in the absentee voting 58-42. 9% of registered voters said they have already cast a ballot.
Real Clear Politics reported:
Coakley loses one-in-five Democrats to Brown, while the Republican state senator has 94 percent of Republicans behind him. Brown has a commanding 58-37 advantage among “unenrolled” voters, mainly independents and those who prefer not to register affiliation with the major parties.”
“Dan Winslow, counsel for the Scott Brown for U.S. Senate campaign, will hold a media availability to announce the filing of a criminal complaint against the Massachusetts Democratic Party regarding a recent mailing paid for and sent by the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Winslow will make a statement and take reporters’ questions at MassGOP Headquarters in Boston TODAY at 4:00 PM.”
“Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”…Robert E. Lee
I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee…Ellen Stugis Hooper
I was discussing politics, the internet and news reporting during the past several years with an older friend of mine yesterday. The word and concept of duty came up and I was instantly reminded of one of my favorte quotes spoken by Kathryn Hepburn in the movie “Rooster Cogburn”, one of my favorite movies.
Scott Brown is running for US Senator from MA. Scott Brown is a fine example of living a life of duty. From the Scott Brown for US Senate website.
“Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004. He is currently in his third Senate term.
In 2004, Senator Brown received the Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state’s sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.”
We all have important duties to fulfill. Certainly, voting is one of them. We must do more than simply voting ourselves. We must stay involved, stay informed and encourage others to do the same. We must help elect Scott Brown for the good of the country and the good of the citizens of MA. Six degrees of separation
“Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. ”
Contact everyone you know, ask them to do the same and contact people in MA. Urge them to vote for Scott Brown. Let them know we are beside them.
“Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race”
“Riding a wave of opposition to Democratic health-care reform, GOP upstart Scott Brown is leading in the U.S. Senate race, raising the odds of a historic upset that would reverberate all the way to the White House, a new poll shows.
Although Brown’s 4-point lead over Democrat Martha Coakley is within the Suffolk University/7News survey’s margin of error, the underdog’s position at the top of the results stunned even pollster David Paleologos.
“It’s a Brown-out,” said Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. “It’s a massive change in the political landscape.”
The poll shows Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, besting Coakley, the state’s attorney general, by 50 percent to 46 percent, the first major survey to show Brown in the lead. Unenrolled long-shot Joseph L. Kennedy, an information technology executive with no relation to the famous family, gets 3 percent of the vote. Only 1 percent of voters were undecided.
Paleologos said bellweather models show high numbers of independent voters turning out on election day, which benefits Brown, who has 65 percent of that bloc compared to Coakley’s 30 percent. Kennedy earns just 3 percent of the independent vote, and 1 percent are undecided.
Given the 4.4-point margin of error, the poll shows Coakley could win the race, Paleologos said. But if Brown’s momentum holds, he is poised to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy – and to halt health-care reform, the issue the late senator dubbed “the cause of my life.”
Yet even in the bluest state, it appears Kennedy’s quest for universal health care has fallen out of favor, with 51 percent of voters saying they oppose the “national near-universal health-care package” and 61 percent saying they believe the government cannot afford to pay for it.
The poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, surveyed 500 registered likely voters who knew the date of Tuesday’s election. It shows Brown leading all regions of the state except Suffolk County.
“Either Brown’s momentum accelerates and his lead widens, or this becomes a wake-up call for Coakley to become the ‘Comeback Kid’ this weekend,” Paleologos said.
And with 99 percent having made up their minds, voters may be hard to persuade.
The poll surveyed a carefully partitioned electorate meant to match voter turnout: 39 percent Democrat, 15 percent Republican and 45 percent unenrolled.”
Citizen WElls 