Friday, January 15, 2010

Desperation?

President Obama will, it seems, be campaigning for Martha Coakley after all. He's scheduled to come to the Bay State on Sunday on Coakley's behalf. This is a risky move for Obama and Coakley. Opposition to Obamacare is perhaps one of Brown's biggest electoral draws; Obama's presence in the state only makes the issue that much more central in voters' minds. A loss by Coakley after Obama's campaign trip could damage his brand credibility. After all, if he can't help Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, how many strings can he really effectively pull for, say, Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas?

As things get down to the wire, the momentum seems to be on Scott Brown's side. One of his internal polls supposedly puts him ahead by 11 points; one of Coakley's internals supposedly has him up by 3.

The poll numbers are sort of all over the place, which is understandable. This is a special election, an especially moving target all the way until the final votes are cast on Tuesday. Turnout turnout turnout!