 BOSTON - Over one year ago Barack Obama was sworn in as president and today, in what many considered to be a referendum on his presidency and his landmark health care plan, he suffered a major defeat. In a major upset State Senator Scott Brown defeated Attorney General Martha Coakley in the special election to fill the US Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. Brown, who at one time was trailing by 31%, has successfully completed one of the most long shot campaigns in the history of Massachusetts politics.
Brown's victory is almost a guarantee that Obama's signature health care reform package is dead. When he replaces Paul Kirk as the interim senator he will be the 41st vote that Republicans so desperately coveted because it disarms the Democratic supermajority. When he is seated will be a major issue in the coming weeks.
On the local front Brown's victory is a shot across the bow of the entrenched Democratic establishment and a possible sign of things to come in the fall elections. State Republican officials were saying before his victory that Brown's campaign has inspired a number of potential legislative candidates to come forward. Brown's defeat of Coakley has seriously wounded her for a reelection run for attorney general and is leading to speculation that she will face a primary challenger and Republican Michael Sullivan if she chooses to run for reelection.
Coakley called Brown at 9:20pm to concede the race after returns from the major municipalities were high for her but they were not enough to counter Brown's domination of the suburbs, central Massachusetts and both Shores. Coakley managed to win almost 70% of the vote in Boston and 61% of the vote in Springfield but she struggled to hang on in Worcester with 52% and lost Lowell. She needed to hang on to all four cities in order to win and she failed to do that.
"I'm Scott Brown, I'm from Wrentham and I drive a truck." |
