Mayday, Mayday: Obama Begs for Coakley Votes in Boston

BOSTON, Mass.—With the leftist agenda hanging in the balance, President Barack Obama plunged Sunday into the hotly contested Massachusetts Senate race, urging voters to rally around the drowning Democratic candidate Martha Coakley.  Republican candidate Scott Brown, a state senator, said the president’s visit was a result of a “distress call to Washington” by the Coakley campaign.

Mr. Brown is riding a grassroots wave fueled by public discontent, and is appealing to independents, who make up more than 50% of the state’s registered voters, as well as Republicans.   The unexpectedly tight race has raised concern among Democrats that the party may be in for a trouncing this Fall, when all seats in the House and one third of those in the Senate are up for grabs.  Democrats control the Senate with a 60-vote majority, enough to override any Republican veto. A win by Mr. Brown would alter the numbers and throw the White House’s agenda into disarray.

On Sunday the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which closely follows national campaigns, said the Massachusetts race remains “very much of a toss up,” with Mr. Brown “holding onto a very narrow, single-digit lead.”  The report added, “Given the vagaries of voter turnout, particularly in lower participation level special elections, this race could still go either way, but we put a finger on the scale for Brown.”   [Read More]