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Democratic candidate for the US Senate Martha Coakley receives her ballot to vote - Source: Reuters -
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Massachusetts voters streamed to the polls in large numbers in a
cliff-hanger election for a new US senator that could derail
Democrats' dominance in Washington and scuttle President Barack
Obama's top priority of sweeping healthcare reform.
What looked likely weeks ago to be a Democratic shoo-in to replace
late party icon Edward Kennedy has turned into a desperate effort
by Democrats after a last-minute surge by the likable Republican,
state Senator Scott Brown.
Latest opinion polls suggest Brown could defeat state Attorney
General Martha Coakley, and take away the Democrats' 60-vote
supermajority in Congress, which enables them to overcome
Republican procedural roadblocks.
Voter worries about the economy and healthcare reform have
helped Brown.
In Washington, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president does
not believe healthcare reform will fail if Coakley loses.
But Obama is both surprised and frustrated and not pleased by
the closeness of the Massachusetts race, Gibbs said.
Reflecting Wall Street's expectations for healthcare reform,
investors drove health insurance and drug company shares higher,
betting a Brown victory would at least slow Obama's healthcare
plans.
Hospital stocks fell.
"If Brown wins, it is our view that Obamacare will not pass
Congress," Avik Roy, a healthcare analyst with Monnes Crespi Hardt,
said in a research note.
Both the Morgan Stanley Healthcare Payor Index and the AMEX
Pharmaceutical index outperformed the broader market, rising 2.9%
and 2.2%, respectively.
Given the expected close vote, results could take a few hours to
emerge after polls close.
High turnout could help energized republicans
Turnout is often low in off-season elections, but given intense
interest in the current race, Secretary of State William Galvin
said he was bracing for voting levels similar to that of a regular
state election.
High turnout could benefit the more energized Brown campaign,
although registered Democrats in Massachusetts hold a sizable
numerical advantage.
Snow and freezing drizzle lingered across much of the state through
midday, which could keep some voters at home.
But local media reported strong turnout in many precincts, with
some polling places seeing long lines early in the day.
Kennedy, who held the seat for almost 47 years, died in August of
brain cancer. Democrat Paul Kirk was appointed by the state's
governor in September to occupy Kennedy's seat and will remain in
the Senate until a winner is sworn in.
Massachusetts last elected a Republican to the Senate in 1972, but
the weak economy and doubts about the healthcare overhaul have
moved voters to abandon political loyalties.
Their possible change of heart could not have come at a more
crucial juncture for Obama.
Democrats now control 60 votes in the Senate to 40 for the
Republicans.
The loss of one seat could hamper the Democrats' ability to cut off debate and proceed to a vote on the planned healthcare overhaul.
Brown has promised to be the Republican's 41st vote to kill
healthcare legislation.
More broadly, an upset in Massachusetts, or even a narrow win for
Coakley, would raise the spectre of large losses for Democrats in
midterm congressional elections in November.
Anger and frustration
The Republican has attracted strong support from independent
voters, including many who backed Obama in 2008.
"There's an anger, a frustration that's being felt in
Massachusetts," said James Gomes, director of the Mosakowski
Institute for Public Enterprise at Clark University in
Massachusetts.
A number of polls over the past week have shown Brown edging ahead,
although mostly within the margin of error for each survey.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report judged the race a
toss-up.
In Washington, House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said he expected
Coakley to win but he understood why voters were unhappy.
"It's a tough time to have a special election because people are
angry...," he said.
Millions of dollars have flooded into the state to buy non-stop
television advertising for both sides, transforming a relatively
sleepy contest into a bitter brawl.
Coakley has been criticized for a lacklustre campaign.
She took almost a week off from the campaign trail around Christmas, at a time when Brown's appeal was on the rise.
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