MA-SEN

Poll: Scott Brown Ahead But Under 50 Percent Against Elizabeth Warren

Eric Kleefeld | September 6, 2011, 12:08PM

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D)

A new poll in Massachusetts find that Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) remains ahead in his race for re-election in 2012 -- but is well under 50 percent against former White House adviser Elizabeth Warren, a precarious spot for a Republican in this usually deep-blue state.

The new survey was sponsored by Boston's NPR station, and conducted by polling firm MassINC. The numbers: Brown 44%, Warren 35%. In match-ups against other Democrats, Brown led City Year co-founder Alan Khazei by 45%-30%, led Dem activist Bob Massie by 45%-29%, and led Newton Mayor Seti Warren 46%-28%.

In a positive sign for Brown, his favorable rating is a solid 54%, to only 25% unfavorable. On the other hand, Elizabeth Warren is at only 17%-13% favorable, with 24% undecided and a 44% plurality having never heard of her -- and Brown is nevertheless unable to reach 50% support in this Dem state.

The poll was conducted from August 30 to September 1, and has a ±4.4% margin of error.

Scott Brown

Scott Brown To Campaign Team: No More Anonymous Twitter Feeds, Guys

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 25, 2011, 4:44PM

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) has told his staff to lay off the anonymous negative campaigning a day after adviser Eric Fehrnstrom admitted to being behind a Twitter feed that attacked one of Brown's potential reelection rivals.

"While it's clear Eric was seeking to inject a little levity into politics on his own time, I wasn't aware of what he was doing," Brown told the Boston Globe in a statement. Brown said to the paper he's "made clear to everyone on or associated with my team that this type of thing is not to happen again."

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Eric Fehrnstrom

Scott Brown Adviser Admits He's Behind Dem-Mocking Twitter Feed, Refuses To Apology

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2011, 6:12PM

Romney campaign advisor Eric Fehrnstrom

Eric Fehrnstrom, the adviser to Scott Brown and Mitt Romney under fire from Democrats today, admitted to the Boston Globe that he is in fact the man behind the anonymous Twitter feed that's been mocking Democratic Senate candidate Alan Khazei.

But despite the calls from Khazei camp for an apology, Fehrnstrom is showing no remorse.

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MA-SEN

Khazei Calls On Scott Brown To Apologize For Fake Twitter Feed

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2011, 3:26PM

Alan Khazei

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alan Khazei isn't letting the revelation that Sen. Scott Brown's (R-MA) campaign team is behind a fake Twitter feed that's been attacking him pass without making some political hay.

"Sen. Brown should denounce these tactics, immediately close the fake Twitter account and apologize to the citizens of Massachusetts," Khazei Chief of Staff Emily Cherniack said in a statement.

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Eric Fehrnstrom

Scott Brown Spox Apparently Outs His Dem-Mocking Twitter Feed

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 24, 2011, 2:22PM

Romney campaign advisor Eric Fehrnstrom

It's time to write the next chapter in the growing political tome, "The Trouble With Twitter."

Eric Fehrnstrom, adviser to both Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), apparently outed himself as the man behind @CrazyKhazei, a Twitter feed that mocks Alan Khazei, the former City Year executive and founder of Be The Change who's running to take on Brown in next year's election. (Readers may know the race as the one progressives really want Elizabeth Warren to run in.)

Fehrnstrom, it appears, sent a tweet intended for @CrazyKhazei from his personal account, thus making him the latest person to press the wrong button on a Twitter app and find himself, er, exposed.

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MA-SEN

Gettin' Worried: Scott Brown Begs For Money To Help Fight Elizabeth Warren

Evan McMorris-Santoro | August 16, 2011, 5:38PM

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) just might have a formidable opponent next year in former Harvard professor and progressive heartthrob Elizabeth Warren. And it looks like he's starting to get nervous about it.

On the heels of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee's $100,000 campaign cash haul on Warren's behalf, Brown's up with a new fundraising appeal begging supporters to help him before it's too late.

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Elizabeth Warren

Progressives Launch Draft Elizabeth Warren Effort, Immediately Raise $30K In Campaign Cash

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 20, 2011, 6:05AM

Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the expenditure of TARP, Elizabeth Warren.

It was inevitable, given the strong feelings of support Elizabeth Warren inspires in the left: A matter of hours after President Obama appointed someone else to lead the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the left is already hauling in thousands of dollars in campaign cash and begging Warren to run for Senate in Massachusetts.

The process is about to take the next leap, as supporters of a Warren campaign against Sen. Scott Brown launch an online ad campaign. For her part, Warren has not yet said if she'll run, though she's left the door open.

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MA-Pres

Poll: Romney Losing Massachusetts To Obama By 20 Points

Eric Kleefeld | June 10, 2011, 11:02AM

Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Barack Obama

Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty are gearing up to be major competitors in the Republican presidential primary race. And as it turns out, the two of them have something in common: According to new surveys from Public Policy Polling (D), they would both lose their respective home states to President Obama by serious margins -- though as the new numbers from Massachusetts show, it's much worse in Romney's case.

In the new Massachusetts survey, Obama leads Romney by a landslide margin of 57%-37% -- wider than the 51%-43% margin that Obama has over Pawlenty in Minnesota, and comparable to Obama's 56%-35% lead over the other likely Minnesotan candidate, Michele Bachmann, in that state.

As it turns out, Romney is actually the strongest Republican candidate in Massachusetts. Obama leads Herman Cain by 60%-27%, leads Newt Gingrich by 63%-27%, leads Sarah Palin by 63%-27%, and leads Pawlenty by 59%-28%.

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Setti Warren

Setti Warren Launches Senate Bid To Take On Incumbent Scott Brown

Jon Terbush | May 9, 2011, 5:15PM

Newton Mayor Setti Warren (D)

Newton Massachusetts Mayor Setti Warren (D) formally added his name to the growing list of Democrats aiming to take on incumbent Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) when he seeks reelection next year in one of the nation's bluest states.

In a campaign video posted to his website, Warren talked at length about his parents' lives as civil rights activists, and how they founded in him a sense of "shared responsibility." Warren often returned to that theme throughout the five-minute video, taking some direct swipes at Brown along the way.

"I believe Scott Brown is an honorable man, but he has not been the independent voice in the Senate that so many expected him to be," Warren says in the video.

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Scott Brown

Poll: Sen. Scott Brown Trounces Dem Challengers In Reelection Bid

Jon Terbush | April 7, 2011, 3:45PM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Despite being a Republican in one of the bluest states in the nation, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is wildly popular with his constituents, a majority of whom say the freshman Senator deserves to be reelected next year according to a new Suffolk University poll.

Nearly six in ten respondents in the poll of likely voters said they have a favorable opinion of Brown. And in hypothetical head-to-head matchups, Brown led all but one Democrat thrown against him by at least 15 points. Brown's only close contest, a five point lead, came against former Sen. Joe Kennedy, who has already ruled out a future Senate bid.

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Scott Brown

Poll: Scott Brown In Great Shape Heading Into 2012 Reelection Campaign

Jon Terbush | March 15, 2011, 8:37AM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) could drive his truck straight on to a second term in 2012.

A poll out this week from Wester New England College finds that a majority of registered voters in deep blue Massachusetts give Brown good marks on his job approval. In addition, Brown tops a couple of potential Democratic challengers in head-to-head matchups.

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MA-SEN

PPP Poll: GOPer Scott Brown In Good Shape In Heavily Dem Massachusetts

Eric Kleefeld | December 2, 2010, 11:01AM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

A new survey of Massachusetts from Public Policy Polling (D) finds Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who won a tremendous upset victory in last January's special election to succeed the late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy, to be in good shape heading into his 2012 re-election bid.

Brown is in front of a number of hypothetical Democratic opponents. He leads Rep. Mike Capuano, who had previously lost the Democratic primary in that special election, by 52%-36%. Brown leads Rep. Stephen Lynch by 49%-30%, leads Rep. Ed Markey by 49%-39%, and leads Gov. Deval Patrick by 49%-42%. In addition, Brown leads Vicki Kennedy, the widow of Ted Kennedy, by 48%-41%.

Brown's approval rating is 53%, to only 29% disapproval.

From the pollster's analysis: "In a sign of how moderate and mainstream Brown's image is, 53% say his views are "about right," something only 32% say of the GOP as a whole. Likewise, 52% think the Republicans too conservative, but only a third say that of Brown. Even 35% of Democrats see Brown's ideology as acceptable, though half do think him too far right."

2010 elections

Sarah Palin Smacks Down Scott Brown: In Alaska 'We Wouldn't Stand For That' (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | August 27, 2010, 11:44AM

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA)

Guess you can rule out the fantasy Palin-Brown ticket.

Even though she championed the shocking win of Sen. Scott Brown in January as "a step for taking our country back," Palin now seems to be calling him a RINO.

In an interview with Fox Business News that mostly focused on the Alaska Republican Senate primary, Palin railed on Republicans that go along with the "herd mentality" by supporting what she called the "Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda." The host asked, "Is Scott Brown on notice?"

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Supreme Court vacancy

Scott Brown To Oppose Elena Kagan

Christina Bellantoni | August 5, 2010, 1:02PM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) will vote against Elena Kagan's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court this afternoon, the freshman announced in a statement. Brown said he does not believe Kagan has enough experience since she hasn't served on the bench.

Brown said Kagan lacks "both" practical courtroom experience and having served on the bench, which he said was his main concern.

Brown has been a sometimes-vote for the Democrats, and as recently as yesterday aides said they believed he would be backing Obama's nominee. As we've written, Brown has crossed party lines several times.

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2012 elections

Scott Brown's Biggest Balancing Acts: Side With Dems Just Enough For Reelection

Christina Bellantoni | July 15, 2010, 12:43PM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is the new, cool thing in Washington, and the model Republicans keep citing on the campaign trail as the future of the party. But the Democrats seem to be frequently asking, "What can Brown really do for you?"

Brown is a cause célèbre among conservatives, sparking spontaneous cheering from GOPers at the mere mention of his name, but it's his moderate credentials that are getting him attention these days. After all, he was elected in what had been -- until this winter -- a solidly blue state, and if he wants voters to send him back he'll need to appeal to their more liberal sensibilities. Brown reportedly raised more than $1 million in the most recent fundraising quarter, even though he's not up for reelection until 2012 -- a sign that he knows he's going to have a battle on his hands. That's one reason Brown has allowed Democrats to woo him on big domestic policy bills.

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Scott Brown

Scott Brown Sworn In As 41st GOP Senator

Rachel Slajda | February 4, 2010, 5:47PM

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) was sworn into the U.S. Senate this afternoon by Vice President Biden.

Brown becomes the 41st Republican in the Senate, ending the Democrats' filibuster-proof supermajority.

He was sworn in earlier than expected after sending a letter to the Massachusetts governor yesterday demanding the election be certified right away. The results were certified this morning.

At a press conference after the swearing-in, Brown told reporters he looks forward to working with the Democrats, but he did not specify which issues he wanted to work with them on.

He also denied rumors today that he rushed his move to Washington in order to block the confirmation of Craig Becker, a former union lawyer, to the National Labor Relations Board.

"I haven't spoken to the leadership since the last time I was here," he said.

Health Care

#HealthCareFAIL: How The Dems Botched Their Signature Legislation

Brian Beutler | January 29, 2010, 3:37PM

Clockwise from top left: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT); MA Sen. candidate Martha Coakley (D); Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and President Obama

Talk about fits and starts.

A year ago Democrats committed to passing comprehensive health care legislation; six months ago, it became clear that their project wouldn't go smoothly; one month ago it was full speed ahead; and a week and a half ago it all fell apart.

Health care reform is now on life support. To mix metaphors, it's on life support and the back burner at the same time. How the Democrats' signature agenda item went from a foregone conclusion to a prospect in peril is a tale of missteps and bad luck. No single player or event brought us to where we are today. But if any of the below episodes had gone...more smoothly, this might've been a done deal.

You know how the saying goes: Success has a thousand fathers, but failure is an orphan. And you can be sure that if health care reform fails, the people below will make like John Edwards--quick-like.

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MA-SEN

White House Didn't Have MA-Sen Health Care Contingency Plan

Christina Bellantoni | January 28, 2010, 5:59PM

David Axelrod and President Obama

The White House had no contingency plan for health care reform if Democrat Martha Coakley lost the special election in Massachusetts, and officials did not discuss the possibility a Democratic loss would dramatically imperil their legislative efforts, a top adviser said today.

President Obama's senior advisor David Axelrod said there "wasn't much discussion" about an alternative path to passing health care with just 59 Democrats in the Senate because there was "widespread assumption was that that seat was safe."

"The truth is the flares went up about 10 days before that election," Axelrod said during a briefing today with reporters and opinion-makers.

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2010 elections

Top Dem Pollster: Pass Health Care Or Face 2010 'Disaster'

Christina Bellantoni | January 21, 2010, 12:53PM

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake

A top Democratic pollster said today if Congress fails to pass health care it will be a "disaster" this fall.

Celinda Lake, who most recently served as the pollster for Attorney General Martha Coakley's losing campaign in Massachusetts, said there is deep frustration with Washington but moving away from health care would be the worst decision.

"We can't talk about it for a year and deliver nothing, that would be a disaster," Lake said. "We should pass it and then we have to go sell it. We have to tell people what is in it."

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Scott Brown

Brown Already Recording Robo-Call For McCain

Rachel Slajda | January 20, 2010, 6:35PM

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA), who won his seat in last night's special election, has already recorded a robo-call for Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) re-election campaign.

Brown's campaign confirmed that he recorded the call, which asks voters to call McCain and thank him for supporting Brown. The number goes to Friends of John McCain, the senator's campaign.

McCain is facing an election this November. He may also find himself vulnerable in the Republican primary if the more conservative J.D. Hayworth challenges him.

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Health Care

Gibbs: One Option For Health Care 'Is To Have The House Work On The Senate Bill'

Rachel Slajda | January 20, 2010, 6:28PM

Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tonight acknowledged that the House may pass the Senate health care bill word-for-word, now that Democrats have 59 seats instead of a filibuster-proof 60 in the Senate.

It was apparently the first time the White House directly acknowledged that as an option.

"We've got a bill that's passed the United States Senate. And one of the ways that is being discussed to get health care reform, to make it a reality, is to have the House work on the Senate bill," Gibbs said on MSNBC.

"Health care reform legislation isn't gonna go through the Senate until Sen.-elect Brown becomes Sen. Brown. But that doesn't have to stop health care reform," he added.

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Barney Frank

U-Turn: Frank Says, With Assurances, He'll Vote For The Senate Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2010, 5:57PM

Rep Barney Frank (D-MA)

In an interview with TPMDC this evening, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) reversed course--apologizing for a harsh statement he released last night in the wake of the Massachusetts special election, and saying, explicitly, that if he's assured the bill will be fixed down the line, he'd vote for the Senate health care bill.

"I'm easy. I'm strongly inclined to vote for the thing, even though I don't like the health care tax thing," Frank told me. "But you know, I was ready to vote for the bill when I had people on the left yelling at me not to vote for it. So you know I'll vote for any of it... to try and move the process along."

Frank was quick to qualify his remarks, though, noting that a vote from him would require promises from leadership and the White House that at least one controversial element of the legislation would be fixed in subsequent legislation. "I take it back...I would want assurances that we were going to amend the health care tax piece," Frank said.

Last night, Frank cast significant doubt on whether Democrats could conceivably pass a health care bill at all. In a statement issued after Sen.-elect Scott Brown's (R-MA) victory last night, Frank said "I am hopeful that some Republican senators will be willing to discuss a revised version of health care reform. Because I do not think that the country would be well served by the health care status quo. But our respect for democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a health care bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened."

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Jim DeMint

DeMint: 'Waterloo' Remark Was 'Call To Arms' In MA-SEN Race

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2010, 3:52PM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who famously declared last year that the health care debate could be President Obama's "Waterloo," and that beating Obama on the issue would "break him," is taking some credit for the Republican victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, The Hill reports.

"I'm not looking for vindication but I do believe that was a call to arms early in this race," DeMint said. "I was one of the first who was willing to take the president on directly on an agenda that I thought was out of control. So I certainly don't regret saying it."

DeMint made it clear that he doesn't want to break Obama personally. "I wanted to break his momentum," DeMint explained. And he also had a warning for the Democrats: "If the president and the Democrats don't get the message from Massachusetts, it will be their Waterloo."

Democrats

Dem Talking Points: We're Screwed!

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2010, 3:07PM

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

New Senate Democratic talking points, distributed in response to last night's special election in Massachusetts show the party pre-emptively placing the blame for a lackluster agenda moving forward on Republicans, who Dems say they now need to pass legislation.

"Republicans have an obligation to the American people to join us in governing our nation through these difficult times and to help clean up the mess they left behind," reads the memo obtained by TPMDC. "It is mathematically impossible for Democrats to pass legislation on our own. Senate Republicans to come to the table (sic) with ideas for improving our nation and not obstructionist tactics."

The new message also attacks Republicans for hypocrisy--for threatening to block Democratic attempts to address the country's fiscal situations after saddling it with soaring deficits under the previous administration.

You can read the entire memo below the fold.

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State Of The Union

Obama Will Mention MA-Sen Loss In State Of The Union

Christina Bellantoni | January 20, 2010, 2:37PM

Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama will address the Democrats' unexpected loss of the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts during his State of the Union address next week.

Gibbs said Obama believes the White House shares the responsibility for Democrat Martha Coakley's loss last night, adding "there's no doubt we are frustrated by that."

"I don't want to get into the blame game. I won't do the percentages as tempting as that might be," Gibbs said.

Obama won't ignore the message the election sent to Washington, he said.

"He will undoubtedly address the results and what they mean in the State of the Union," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the focus of the address to Congress on Wednesday night will be the 2010 direction for the administration: jobs and fiscal responsibility. As we have reported, he also will address the failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day.

Steve King

Steve King: Massachusetts Election A Miracle, 'I Believe There Has Been Intervention' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 20, 2010, 12:39PM

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA), one of the most outspoken conservatives in Congress, took to the House floor last night to celebrate the victory of Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) as a populist uprising against what he called the Democrats' socialist agenda.

"How could you possibly take away, spend enough money, and take away enough liberty, that the three-and-a-half to one Democrats to Republicans in Massachusetts would elect the Republican to come down to the United States Senate and vote against cloture, so that the Harry Reid bill could be killed in the Senate?" King asked rhetorically. "How could you ever spend that much money? I didn't believe it was possible, Mr. Speaker. But I -- some would say a miracle has taken place tonight, and I wouldn't disagree with that. I believe there has been intervention, and I'm grateful for it."

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2010 elections

After Mass. Loss, DSCC Launches 'Forensic Examination' Of 2010 Field

Christina Bellantoni | January 20, 2010, 12:37PM

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is scouring each Senate race with a "forensic examination" of each campaign and candidate in the aftermath of the party's stunning loss last night in Massachusetts.

DSCC Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez told TPMDC in an interview today that Democrats running for and defending Senate seats can't afford to cede the "change" mantle.

The DSCC is immediately assessing each battle from New Hampshire to Colorado to make sure those campaigns are "calibrated to the volatility of this electorate," Menendez said.

"We've got to conduct a forensic examination of each of our campaigns and candidates," he said

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Scott Brown

Brown Says He Will Go To D.C. Thursday

Rachel Slajda | January 20, 2010, 12:14PM

Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) said today that he plans to go to Washington, D.C., this Thursday.

In a press conference today, he said he hoped Senate leadership would seat him right away. But leaders have said they will wait until they get official certification from Massachusetts, which could take around 15 days.

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Barack Obama

Poll: Anti-Coakley Obama Voters Say Dems Aren't Doing Enough

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2010, 11:19AM

President Obama with his advisers in the Oval Office.

Here's an interesting finding. A survey yesterday of pro-Obama voters in Massachusetts who didn't support Democrat Martha Coakley (either they stayed home, or they voted for Scott Brown) say their disenchantment has much to do with the fact that Democrats haven't done enough to challenge Republican policies of the Bush years.

A Research 2000 poll commissioned by Democracy for America, MoveOn, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee asked 500 Obama voters who supported Republican Scott Brown "Generally speaking do you think Barack Obama and Democrats in Washington, DC are delivering enough on the change Obama promised to bring to America during the campaign?"

Overall, 49 percent of respondents said "no," 37 percent said "yes," with 14 percent unsure.

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Bob Casey

Senate Leadership To House: Health Care's On You

Brian Beutler | January 20, 2010, 10:39AM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

After an early morning meeting today, members of the Senate Democratic leadership said outright what many suspected after last night's election: The fate of health care rests with the House.

I asked Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Democratic Steering Committee, whether there was any chance Senate Democrats would embark on another round of health care votes if the House sent a modified bill back their way.

"I think at this point, given the new senator from Massachusetts' position, I think that that would be tough to do," she said.

Asked whether the fate of reform rested with the House, Democratic Conference Secretary Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), said, "I think so."

So what's next for the Senate? Leaders and rank and file members say: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

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2010 elections

Democrats Wake Up To Different Landscape: Potentially Brutal 2010

Christina Bellantoni | January 20, 2010, 9:25AM

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Surveying the 2010 landscape in the aftermath of the Massachusetts special election that cost Democrats their 60-seat supermajority, President Obama and the Congressional Democrats are going to have to defend more seats, spend more money and potentially concede key elements of their agenda.

In the immediate sense there is a big question about whether - and how - Democrats will be able to pass the health care bill they've worked on since July.

On a macro political level it already wasn't going to be a easy year before Republican Scott Brown captured the seat Ted Kennedy held for 47 years. And it just got a lot harder.

Democrats cringe at the obvious comparison between the sentiment among Americans today and what they were one year ago when Obama raised his hand before millions who'd braved frigid temperatures to witness history.

But for a White House that values symbolism, losing Kennedy's seat on the anniversary of Obama's inauguration and facing deep criticism from Democrats over Kennedy's signature issue of health care badly stings.

And Republicans who felt deflated one year ago are seizing the moment.

"We are waking up feeling like Republicans can compete anywhere," a former RNC official told TPMDC. "Every seat is going to get another look."

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MA-SEN

The Democrats Begin The Blame Game

Laura Colarusso | January 19, 2010, 11:34PM

MA Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) and Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

It didn't take long for the Dems to start the finger pointing in the wake of Martha Coakley's loss in the Massachusetts special Senate election.

As the election night returns came pouring in so did the blame. Coakley, a Democrat and the Massachusetts Attorney General, was ahead of Republican State Senator Scott Brown by double digit margins well into December. But, her lead faded in early January and her campaign was never able to recover.

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2010 elections

Dem Talking Points: Laser Focus On Jobs Since Anger And Anxiety Factors In MA-Sen

Christina Bellantoni | January 19, 2010, 11:33PM

MA Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) and Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

New Democratic talking points are emerging after Republican Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts, with officials saying the election wasn't a referendum on President Obama or health care.

Republicans have made that exact point in their reactions tonight, but a senior Democrat told TPMDC tonight that while Martha Coakley's loss stings, it wasn't the White House's fault.

Obama wasn't asked to campaign until the final 10 days of the race, when Brown's surge was already underway, the Democrat said. White the party logged a lot of phone calls and doors knocked for Coakley, it wasn't enough to make up for the time she lost by getting her general election campaign off to a slow start.

Brown "tapped into the anger and anxiety Americans are feeling and he won," the Democrat said, adding "This is something the President is familiar with considering it's why we won in 2008."

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Democrats

Determined or Delusional? House Leadership Sounds Optimistic on HCR

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2010, 10:11PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

In the hours and minutes before Republican Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, House Democratic leadership sounded resilient, even optimistic notes about the possibility of passing health care reform anyhow. But that puts them at odds with their rank and file members, particularly progressives, who, based on press reports and interviews conducted as returns were coming in, but before the race was called, now have a hard time seeing an endgame.

A number of progressives say that they still can not vote to pass the Senate bill in the House, even though that would wrap up the reform project once and for all. But with at least one Democratic member of the Senate pre-emptively saying there should be no more Senate votes on health care before Brown is seated, that increasingly appears to be their only avenue. The question is, is that road blocked?

"If it comes down to that Senate bill or nothing, I think we're going to end up with nothing, because I don't hear a lot of support on our side for that bill," said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA). "I've lost my faith in anything happening quickly that requires Senate action.

"If she loses, it's over," Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) said this evening in New York.

Two high-profile progressives--Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)--said the only way they could sign on to the Senate bill is if it was accompanied immediately, or even preceded by, a separate bill, making a number of major preemptive changes to what they regard as an inferior package.

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MA-SEN

Health Care Comes To Screeching Halt - Sen. Webb: No HCR Votes Until Brown Seated

Christina Bellantoni | January 19, 2010, 9:49PM

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)

Less than 15 minutes after the race was called for Republican Scott Brown, the first of what could be many conservative Democrats asks for leadership to put the brakes on health care reform.

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) congratulated Brown on his win and delivered a zinger:

"In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated."

MA-SEN

Coakley Concedes In Massachusetts

Christina Bellantoni | January 19, 2010, 9:37PM

Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

Republican Scott Brown has been declared the winner in Massachusetts, but before the networks and Associated Press called it for him, Democrat Martha Coakley called him to concede.

The Boston Globe reported that she phoned him at 9:13 p.m.

MA-SEN

Brown Wins Kennedy Seat In Massachusetts, Erasing Democrats' 60-Seat Super Majority

Christina Bellantoni | January 19, 2010, 9:27PM

MA Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) and Senator-Elect Scott Brown (R-MA)

Massachusetts voters chose state Sen. Scott Brown as their next U.S. Senator, sending a Republican to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and damaging the chances of passing health care bill that Democrats have spent months crafting.

The Associated Press and CNN declared Brown the victor over Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) with two-thirds of precincts reporting. (See returns here.) Kennedy held the seat 47 years until his death last summer.

It was the first statewide special election in the state's history, and unpredictable from the start. Democrats were caught off guard less than two weeks ago when polls showed Coakley, who had won the primary in December, had just a slim lead.

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