Reporter Says Coakley Aide Pushed Him

Axelrod says White House would have done more earlier if asked

(NEWSER) - Voter turnout is heavy in Massachusetts, but without exit polls it won't be clear until after the polls close at 8pm whether Scott Brown or Martha Coakley will be a senator. Based on comments and emails floating about, Democrats are terrified:

• A Coakley adviser fired off an angry email, obtained by Ben Smith at Politico , refuting the notion that she's at fault. The "DNC and other Dem organizations did not engage until the week before the election, much too late," it reads, adding that Brown capitalized on the trouble of President Obama and the national party.

Dems' options if Brown wins not looking good

(NEWSER) - With polls showing the majority of Americans opposed to the Democrats' health care reform bill, a victory for Scott Brown in Massachusetts today could sound the death of the party's yearlong effort at health reform. If Dems try to proceed with the reforms in the wake of a Brown victory, the GOP will have a strong case that a liberal minority is ignoring the will of voters to push its own agenda, the Washington Post reports. More»

Republican up 41 points among independents

(NEWSER) - Scott Brown is 9 points ahead of Martha Coakley in a poll released today, just 1 day before Massachusetts voters decide who will fill Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. New InsiderAdvantage numbers show Brown ahead 52% to 43% with likely registered voters. Among independents, Brown is ahead a staggering 41 points; the Republican also enjoys the support of 24% of Democrats. More»

She's been too afraid to reveal her real personality

(NEWSER) - If Martha Coakley loses in Tuesday's special election in Massachusetts, it will be a "well-earned defeat," writes Adrian Walker. She has, after all, ran a "lousy campaign," which is an explicable shame. "She is suddenly being savaged—especially in the national media—as mediocre, which she certainly is not. (That would be Scott Brown.) Popular just a few weeks ago, suddenly it’s as though no one quite knows how she got on the ballot." More»

Swing voters weak on Coakley—even some who back health care

(NEWSER) - Turnout remains the most important factor in the Massachusetts Senate election, but it’s not the only factor. The latest Rasmussen poll has Coakley ahead by just 2 points, despite an electorate that gives Barack Obama a 57% approval rating, notes Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com. In an election widely characterized as a health care referendum, 8% approve of health care, yet aren’t in Coakley’s column—including 5% planning to vote for Brown. More»