Republican Scott Brown shockingly wins Senate seat in Massachusetts
Julia Seibolt
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Opinion
Last Tuesday, a startling, little-known fact was unearthed: Republicans exist in Massachusetts. Being a resident of the Commonwealth myself, this was something of which even I was not entirely aware. In a stunning turn of events that has the most seasoned political analysts still scratching their heads, Republican Scott Brown trounced Democrat Martha Coakley to win a seat in the United States Senate that had not been occupied by a conservative for 38 years. Yes, the state that I call home is that liberal. Brown's seat of course was formerly held by Massachusetts royalty; the late Ted Kennedy. Kennedy, being one of the most liberal representatives in the Senate, makes Brown's victory all the more striking. The magnitude of Brown's election and the consequences it will create are almost difficult to fathom.
While the GOP is riding high off of Brown's win, his meteoric rise in the election may be more reflective of public sentiment towards the Obama administration than Brown himself. His opponent, Martha Coakley, should have sailed effortlessly to an easy victory. Massachusetts has an extremely strong liberal voting contingent, and she has had no major mars on her political record. However, many complained of her complacency, and lack of initiative in campaigning. In fact, Coakley only seemed to truly begin campaigning about two weeks before the election itself when it was revealed that her numbers were beginning to sag. Information of Brown gaining ground sent a shockwave throughout the Democratic Party, and almost immediately the political heavyweights were enlisted. President Obama himself came to Massachusetts to publicly support Coakley, but even that could not save her numbers from continuing to fall.
Ironically, the spike in Brown's numbers can be attributed to the same sentiments upon which Obama was elected in 2008. Just as Barack rode a wave of anger against former President Bush, Brown was able to employ public animosity in his favor as well. Since the Commander-in-Chief was sworn in almost exactly one year ago, people have become increasingly unhappy with his seeming unwillingness to follow through on many of his campaign promises, and the numerous government bailouts did not seem to shift public opinion. Additionally, universal healthcare is an extremely controversial issue, and there has yet to be a proposal to garner widespread support.
While the GOP is riding high off of Brown's win, his meteoric rise in the election may be more reflective of public sentiment towards the Obama administration than Brown himself. His opponent, Martha Coakley, should have sailed effortlessly to an easy victory. Massachusetts has an extremely strong liberal voting contingent, and she has had no major mars on her political record. However, many complained of her complacency, and lack of initiative in campaigning. In fact, Coakley only seemed to truly begin campaigning about two weeks before the election itself when it was revealed that her numbers were beginning to sag. Information of Brown gaining ground sent a shockwave throughout the Democratic Party, and almost immediately the political heavyweights were enlisted. President Obama himself came to Massachusetts to publicly support Coakley, but even that could not save her numbers from continuing to fall.
Ironically, the spike in Brown's numbers can be attributed to the same sentiments upon which Obama was elected in 2008. Just as Barack rode a wave of anger against former President Bush, Brown was able to employ public animosity in his favor as well. Since the Commander-in-Chief was sworn in almost exactly one year ago, people have become increasingly unhappy with his seeming unwillingness to follow through on many of his campaign promises, and the numerous government bailouts did not seem to shift public opinion. Additionally, universal healthcare is an extremely controversial issue, and there has yet to be a proposal to garner widespread support.
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