“If I had to bet a week’s salary,” said Dennis Hale, a political science professor at Boston College, “I’d still bet it on Coakley. But this is going to be like in the military, where the bullet misses you but it still scares you to death.”
While Ms. Coakley kept a low profile over the holidays, Mr. Brown hammered her as soft on terrorists and as a “crusader” for abortion rights. He has played up his military credentials — he serves in the Army National Guard — and his opposition to the health care overhaul headed for a final vote in Congress. That, too, has unnerved Democrats, who cannot afford to lose a single vote on the embattled legislation.
Republicans are hoping that diminished support for President Obama and his party among independents could give Mr. Brown a shot at winning. About half of the state’s voters are not affiliated with a party.
“Scott’s done a great job of tapping into the economy as an issue and the fact that people aren’t happy with what’s going on in Washington,” said Charles Manning, a Republican strategist here. “When you couple that with the coronation campaign that Martha’s been trying to run, it’s really made a difference.”
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