I really didn’t think it would reach this point: Stu Rothenberg now rates the Massachusetts Senate race as a “toss up.”
Whatever the shortcomings of the Coakley campaign (and they certainly exist), this race has become about change, President Obama and Democratic control of all of the levers of power in Washington, D.C. Brown has “won” the “free media” over the past few days, and if he continues to do so, he will win the election.
Late Democratic efforts to demonize Republican Scott Brown, to make the race into a partisan battle and to use the Kennedy name to drive Democratic voters to the polls could still work. But the advertising clutter in the race works against them, and voters often tune out late messages, which can seem desperate.
So just to clarify, Rothenberg is saying the race has been nationalized, and Democrats are at risk of losing, in Massachusetts.