Vicki Kennedy Endorses Coakley In Senate Race

The widow of Edward M. Kennedy has formally endorsed Democrat Martha Coakley in her bid for the late senator's seat.

Vicki Kennedy, campaigning with Coakley on Thursday, told supporters in Medford that the attorney general will support the issues the senator had cared about.

"Martha Coakley shares those beliefs, and she'll go to Washington and fight for us," Vicki Kennedy said.

Interim Sen. Paul Kirk, who is filling in for Kennedy in Washington, and the senator's nephew, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, joined Vicki at the Medford Senior Center for the event.

Vicki Kennedy said Coakley would continue the "world-class" representation provided by her late husband. She said Coakley has already fought tough fights on health care as attorney general "and she'll fight for us in the U.S. Senate."

The Kennedy family had issued a statement of support for Coakley the night she won the Democratic primary. Thursday's show of support seemed aimed at getting Democrats energized to vote as Coakley finds herself in a tight race with Republican state Sen. Scott Brown.

"We can't take this election for granted," Vicki Kennedy said. "Our biggest enemy here is complacency." She paused, then added, "And winter."

The only published poll in the race between the two candidates found there is no meaningful difference between voters' level of support for each candidate. The Rasmussen poll found Coakley leading Brown 50 percent to 41 percent, a nine-point difference, but with a margin of error of 4.5 percent either way, which means that Brown could actually be tied with Coakley.

Coakley faces Brown and independent candidate Joseph L. Kennedy, no relation to the political family, in the Jan. 19 election.