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Massachusetts Votes in High-Stakes US Senate Election

   Jim Malone 19 January 2010
   Democratic  candidate,  Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley,
   left,  and  her  husband  Thomas  F.  O'Connor, Jr. wave to supporters
   outside the polling station where they cast their votes in the special
   election to replace former Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-

Photo: AP

   Democratic  candidate,  Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley,
   left,  and  her  husband  Thomas  F.  O'Connor, Jr. wave to supporters
   outside the polling station where they cast their votes in the special
   election   to   replace   former  Sen.  Edward  Kennedy,  in  Medford,
   Massachusetts, 19 Jan 2010

   Voters  in  the  northeastern  U.S. state of Massachusetts are casting
   ballots  to  choose  a new U.S. senator in a tight election that could
   derail President Barack Obama's legislative agenda.
   Democrat  Martha  Coakley,  the  state's attorney general, is facing a
   tough challenge from Republican State Senator Scott Brown in Tuesday's
   special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Ted Kennedy.
   A  Brown  victory would cost Democrats their 60-seat super majority in
   the  U.S.  Senate  and  curtail  their  ability to override Republican
   delaying  tactics  on  contentious  legislation,  such  as health care
   reform.
   President  Obama campaigned on behalf of Coakley in the state capital,
   Boston, on Sunday to rally support for the Democrat.  He warned voters
   that his top initiatives are on the line.
   Recent polls show Brown tied with or leading Coakley, who had a strong
   advantage going into the race.  Massachusetts has many more registered
   Democrats  than  Republicans,  but  Brown  has  gained  support  among
   independents frustrated with President Obama.
   The  winner  of  the  election  will  fill  the remaining two years of
   Kennedy's  term.   The  younger  brother of the late President John F.
   Kennedy  held  the  seat for 47 years until he died in August of brain
   cancer.
   The  election  includes a third contender, Libertarian activist Joseph
   Kennedy.  He is not related to the late senator.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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