BOSTON—In a special election to be held on Jan. 19 Massachusetts residents will cast their vote to fill the Senate seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. The race is now close between Massachusetts state Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat.
Massachusetts is a notoriously politically partisan state. Democrats hold a landslide majority in the state and the majority in the state Senate with 87 percent (39 to 5), and 90 percent in the state House of Representatives (145 to 16). In the U.S. House of Representatives, all 10 seats from Massachusetts are occupied by Democrats.
It is rare for a Republican to take such a hold in the polls as Brown has. According to a recent Rasmussen report poll, currently the race favors Coakley by only a small margin with Coakley at 49 percent and Brown at 47 percent. According to the Rasmussen report, this number has shifted from a week ago with Coakley leading by a 50 to a 41 percent margin.
With important national debates and votes on Capitol Hill such as the war and health care reform heating up, both sides are weighing in and giving their support to the candidates to tip these debates and votes in their favor.
Last Thursday, family members of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy endorsed Coakley. Coakley’s Web site published a release prior to the announcement stating, “The Kennedy family will discuss the need for national health reform to lower costs and expand coverage for Massachusetts businesses and families, and how the attorney general’s skill and determination will help make Sen. Kennedy’s dream of fundamental reform a reality for all.”
Just yesterday, an announcement was made on Sen. Brown’s Web site stating that the State Police Association of Massachusetts and Commissioned officers were giving their support to Brown.
“The terrorist threat in this country is real and Scott Brown will always come down on the side of protecting our nation,” stated Richard Brown, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts in the announcement.
With a clear divide on the issues, and the state’s heavy slant to the Democratic Party, this race has the nation watching closely what will be a tight and historic special election on Jan. 19 next week in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is a notoriously politically partisan state. Democrats hold a landslide majority in the state and the majority in the state Senate with 87 percent (39 to 5), and 90 percent in the state House of Representatives (145 to 16). In the U.S. House of Representatives, all 10 seats from Massachusetts are occupied by Democrats.
It is rare for a Republican to take such a hold in the polls as Brown has. According to a recent Rasmussen report poll, currently the race favors Coakley by only a small margin with Coakley at 49 percent and Brown at 47 percent. According to the Rasmussen report, this number has shifted from a week ago with Coakley leading by a 50 to a 41 percent margin.
With important national debates and votes on Capitol Hill such as the war and health care reform heating up, both sides are weighing in and giving their support to the candidates to tip these debates and votes in their favor.
Last Thursday, family members of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy endorsed Coakley. Coakley’s Web site published a release prior to the announcement stating, “The Kennedy family will discuss the need for national health reform to lower costs and expand coverage for Massachusetts businesses and families, and how the attorney general’s skill and determination will help make Sen. Kennedy’s dream of fundamental reform a reality for all.”
Just yesterday, an announcement was made on Sen. Brown’s Web site stating that the State Police Association of Massachusetts and Commissioned officers were giving their support to Brown.
“The terrorist threat in this country is real and Scott Brown will always come down on the side of protecting our nation,” stated Richard Brown, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts in the announcement.
With a clear divide on the issues, and the state’s heavy slant to the Democratic Party, this race has the nation watching closely what will be a tight and historic special election on Jan. 19 next week in Massachusetts.
