Obama Stumps for Coakley; Brown Up by 5 Points

But will it work?

(NEWSER) - Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren are rivals in a sure-to-be-bitterly-contested race for Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat, but they both want super PACs to stay out of it: The rivals yesterday entered into a pact discouraging outside groups from airing ads on their behalf; both Brown and Warren agreed to pay 50% of the ads' cost to a charity chosen by their rival if any such ads do air, CBS News reports. More»

She launches exploratory committee, website

(NEWSER) - Elizabeth Warren has taken one big step closer to a much-buzzed about run for Senate in Massachusetts. Yesterday the consumer advocate and Harvard professor filed paperwork to create an exploratory committee, a source tells the AP . She also put up a website— http://elizabethforma.com —where supporters can donate and sign up for updates. Warren will spend the next few weeks meeting with party officials and activists, before formally deciding sometime after Labor Day whether to run. More»

The Tea Party really made things interesting this year

(NEWSER) - From a January special election right up to the unexpectedly-productive lame duck Congress that just finished, 2010 was an incredible year in politics. Here's the rundown of Politico's top moments:

• Jan. 9, Scott Brown surges—The Republican took the lead in polls, sending uneasy Democrats into full-fledged panic mode. Just 11 days later, Brown did the unthinkable: Pulled Ted Kennedy's Senate seat into the GOP column (and touted his daughters' availability on national television).

Ted Kennedy's son calls successor's candidacy a 'joke'

(NEWSER) - Scott Brown sped up his swearing-in because despite having touted his independence during his Senate campaign, "he's in the tank for the Republicans," says Patrick Kennedy, predecessor Ted Kennedy's son. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island congressman, says Brown suddenly demanded to be seated a week earlier than previously arranged because he plans to support a Republican filibuster of an Obama nominee's appointment. "His “whole candidacy was shown to be a joke,” Kennedy said. More»

Mass. already has even-more-liberal health plan—why aid others?

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney didn’t help Scott Brown win by campaigning for him, Timothy Noah writes, but by giving Massachusetts universal health care four years ago. Sure, the senator-elect and the former governor railed against Obamacare as a “one size fits all” health reform plan, but they were being disingenuous. The real issue, which Brown campaigned on, is that the state already has an even-more-liberal plan, which voters like, so why should they support a national version? More»