Changes

*'''Massachusetts'''

*'''Massachusetts'''

Liberal icon [[Ted Kennedy]], the third longest-serving Senator in U.S. history, died in August 2009, marking the end of an era. During the [[2004 Presidential Election]] the Democratic super-majority in the state legislator blocked the right of [[Republican]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]] to appoint an interim senator had [[John Kerry]] been elected President. After changing the law to allow Governor [[Deval Patrick]], a [[Democrat]], the right to appoint a temporary replacement for Kennedy, he choose former Democratic National Committee chairman [[Paul Kirk]]. He will not seek a full term of his own, and a special election will be held on January 19, 2010.  

Republican State Senator [[Scott Brown]] pulled a major upset when he defeated Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] by a 52%-47% margin.

State Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] won the Democratic primary, defeating businessman Alan Khazei, Representative Mike Capuano, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca. Charismatic State Senator [[Scott Brown]] is the Republican nominee.<ref> Many high-profile Republicans declined to fight the odds, including former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, former Governor Mitt Romney, former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and former [[Red Sox]] pitcher [[Curt Schilling]], a conservative. See [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092203804.html news]</ref>.  

 

State Attorney General [[Martha Coakley]] won the Democratic primary, defeating businessman Alan Khazei, Representative Mike Capuano, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca. Charismatic State Senator [[Scott Brown]] was the Republican nominee.<ref> Many high-profile Republicans declined to fight the odds, including former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, former Governor Mitt Romney, former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and former [[Red Sox]] pitcher [[Curt Schilling]], a conservative. See [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/22/AR2009092203804.html news]</ref>.  

[[File:Sbrown1.jpg|thumb|290px|right|a last minute appeal]]

[[File:Sbrown1.jpg|thumb|290px|right|a last minute appeal]]

It was a safe Democratic seat until January, when Democrats reeled in shock as Coakley lost her 30 point lead and trails by 5-10 points in the closing hours. Coakley is an ineffective machine-style insider candidate who has been unable to reach independents. Brown is a much better campaigner, and leads 2-1 among independents, who will elect him if they turn out and vote. Brown's main theme is that he will be the 41st senator and will block the Obama health care plan--which Massachusetts does not need, he explains, because it has its own plan now in operation. Coakley responds by attacking bankers and bringing in big guns like Bill Clinton, John Kerry and Barack Obama. They appeal to regular Democrats and alienate the equally numerous independents, who prefer Brown by more than 2-1.  

It was a safe Democratic seat until January, when Democrats reeled in shock as Coakley lost her 30 point lead and trails by 5-10 points in the closing hours. Coakley was an ineffective machine-style insider candidate who has been unable to reach independents. Brown's main theme is that he will be the 41st senator and will block the Obama health care plan--which Massachusetts does not need, he explains, because it has its own plan now in operation. Coakley responds by attacking bankers and bringing in big guns like [[Bill Clinton]], [[John Kerry]] and [[Barack Obama]]. They appeal to regular Democrats and alienate the equally numerous independents, who prefered Brown by more than 2-1.  

A defeat for Coakley, coming on the heels of the Democrats' loss of Virginia and New Jersey in Nov. 2009, would be a major blow to the liberal cause and would reinvigorate the Republican party nationally.

The defeat for Coakley, coming on the heels of the Democrats' loss of Virginia and New Jersey in Nov. 2009, was a major blow to the liberal caused and would reinvigorate the Republican party nationally.

*'''Texas'''

*'''Texas'''