Mass. special election could shape fate of health reform

Los Angeles Times: "For Democrats, it's a nightmarish scenario: A Republican appears to be within striking distance of capturing the Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy." Some polls now show that [Scott] Brown is gaining on Attorney General Martha Coakley, his Democratic rival. For Democrats, keeping Kennedy's seat on their side of the aisle is a point of pride. But a "loss would deprive Senate Democrats of their 60-vote supermajority and hand Republicans the ability to filibuster legislation. Brown has been telling voters that he would be the '41st vote' against the massive healthcare overhaul now before Congress, giving Republicans enough muscle to block it" (Oliphant, 1/14).

CNN: "Political analyst David Gergen, who moderated a debate between Brown and Coakley Monday night, said part of the closeness of the race is tied to the health care reform bill in Congress." Gergen said, "And his campaign has gotten a lot of traction suddenly, unexpectedly in the last few weeks by exactly that campaign pledge: 'I will send this bill back'" (Hornick, 1/13).

FOX News: "Democrat Martha Coakley and her supporters warned at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night that the fate of health care reform and the Democratic Party's majority in Congress all hinge on the outcome of her bid for Senate in Massachusetts next week, according to accounts of the closed-door affair" (1/13).

Meanwhile, "Outside groups are pouring millions of dollars into Massachusetts' Senate race to replace the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, highlighting a contest that could determine the fate of national health care legislation," USA Today reports. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Service Employees International Union are facing off in television ads. The conservative American Future Fund has planned ads against Coakley, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee plans adds against Brown (Fritze, 1/14).

And The Boston Globe reports on the Republican candidates campaign style. During a conversation at would-be constituents' dinner table in December, Scott Brown was optimistic that he could attract votes in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1. "What I'm hearing is that people are saying: 'You know what, Scott? I just don't like the way things are going...." Brown knows, the Globe says, that "his Republican base is fired up. ... Brown believes he can win some independents and maybe some Democrats on taxes and national security, perhaps even health care" (Moskowitz, 1/14).