MA-SEN

Politico Poll: Brown 52, Coakley 43, Kennedy 2

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 18, 2010, 4:52PM

MA Senate Candidates AG Martha Coakley (D) and State Sen. Scott Brown (R)

A new poll sponsored by Politico shows Scott Brown (R) with a comfortable lead the day before the Massachusetts special election to replace Ted Kennedy in the Senate. The poll, conducted Sunday night for Politico by InsiderAdvantage, shows Brown leading Martha Coakley 52-43, with Libertarian Joe Kennedy hovering at 2% support.

Internal numbers from the poll are even more damaging to Coakley's chances. The results show Brown leading by 41% among independent voters and by 15%. Other recent polls have shown Coakley's support among independents to be waning, and the Politico poll is not the first released today to show Brown solidly ahead in the horserace.

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MA-SEN

Latest MA-Sen Poll: Brown Leads By 7 Over Coakley, Kennedy Not A Factor

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 18, 2010, 3:02PM

Senate candidate Scott Brown (R-MA).

ARG's latest poll from the Massachusetts Senate race shows Scott Brown (R) extending his lead over Martha Coakley (D) in the final hours campaigning.

The previous ARG poll, taken Jan. 12-14, showed Brown with a 3-point lead over Coakley, 48-45. The new poll, released today, was taken over the weekend and shows Brown's lead to now be 7 points. He leads Coakley 52-45, with 2% undecided. The margin of error is 4%. Libertarian Joe Kennedy, who some have suggested might split the anti-Coakley vote tomorrow, polled at just 2% in both surveys.

MA-SEN

Rothenberg Moves MA-SEN To 'Leans Takeover'

Rachel Slajda | January 18, 2010, 12:01PM

Senator-elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

Rothenberg Political Report today moved the Massachusetts Senate special election from a "tossup" rating to "leans takeover."

"Brown is running extremely well with Independents in the Bay State, and unless Democratic turnout exceeds everyone's expectations, Brown is headed for a comfortable win," Rothenberg writes.

Cook Political Report, on the other hand, issued a statement yesterday saying the race is still in their "tossup" column, writing, "This race could still go either way, but we put a finger on the scale for Brown."

The seat, which belonged to the late Ted Kennedy, is now held by interim Sen. Paul Kirk (D). Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley, as well as Libertarian Joe Kennedy, are vying for the seat.

MA-SEN

Could Joe Kennedy Win The Race For Coakley?

Rachel Slajda | January 18, 2010, 11:38AM

MA Senate candidate Joe Kennedy (I)

Not much attention has been paid to Libertarian Joe Kennedy in the Massachusetts Senate race. But might he be the deciding factor in who wins the seat?

As Campaign Diaries points out, polls which include Kennedy (no relation to the late Ted Kennedy) make things look better for Democratic candidate Martha Coakley. Polls that only include Coakley and her Republican rival, Scott Brown, look better for Brown.

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Tea Party

Tea Party Group Backs Brown, Pressures Third Party Candidate To Drop Out Of Mass. Senate Race

Brian Beutler | January 18, 2010, 8:48AM

MA Senate candidate Joe Kennedy (I)

The Massachusetts Tea Party is working behind the scenes to make sure Scott Brown doesn't lose votes to...a libertarian candidate, beloved by many in the Tea Party movement.

A mostly overlooked factor in the special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts is that there's a third party candidate in the race--libertarian Joe Kennedy (no relation to Ted)--who, though far behind in the polls, conservatives fear could be the Republicans' Ralph Nader on Tuesday. So in the past several days, tea party protesters, and others on the far right have organized a letter writing campaign to pressure Kennedy to drop out of the race and endorse GOP hopeful Scott Brown.

"The Massachusetts Tea Party movement is banding together to contact Joe Kennedy and ask him to step out of next Tuesday's Senate race," reads a Tea Party email obtained by TPMDC. (The Massachusetts Tea Party is part of the national Tea Party Patriots organization.)

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