"

Brown seen as gaining on Coakley in race for Kennedy Senate seat

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 11, 2010

 

Massachusetts isn't the likeliest backdrop for Republicans to begin their long climb back to a Senate majority. Democrats control both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, all 10 House seats and wide majorities in the state legislature.

And yet, the buzz in political circles over the past week is that state Sen. Scott Brown is rapidly making up ground on state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the Jan. 19 special election to succeed the late Edward M. Kennedy -- movement that has Democrats scrambling to ensure they keep what should be a sure thing in their column.

Coakley used her name identification and fundraising edge to coast to a pedestrian victory over Rep. Mike Capuano, among others, in the Dec. 8 Democratic primary. But she has drawn heavy criticism from party strategists in the state and nationally for not doing enough to energize supporters in a political climate decidedly unfriendly to their party.

More . . .
"