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Coakley Acknowledges Voter Anger; Brown Says It's Not About Obama

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley leans over to greet Robin Reed and others at her table during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast in Boston on Monday. (AP)
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley leans over to greet Robin Reed and others at her table during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast in Boston on Monday. (AP)

The candidates for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy are crossing the state in one final day of campaigning.

At an annual breakfast honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in Boston, the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Martha Coakley, acknowledged the sentiments that are pushing many voters toward her Republican opponent.

"We are in the middle of a very close election, and I know that people are frustrated," Coakley said. "They're angry. They may be focusing that in many different ways."

Following the breakfast event at Hynes Convention Center, state Sen. Scott Brown campaigned in front of the TD Bank Garden. When he campaigned there a month ago, most people just walked by. This time, he was mobbed by Boston Bruins fans. He told reporters this election is not a referendum on President Obama.

Massachusetts State Sen. Scott Brown greets attendees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast Monday at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. (AP)
Massachusetts State Sen. Scott Brown greets attendees at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast Monday at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. (AP)

"I am with the president on a fair amount of things, more than I think Martha in some of the instances," Brown said. "For example, I think he's doing a great job in handling North Korea."

He also cited his support of Mr. Obama's buildup of U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan, which Coakley opposes.

Brown's campaign is targeting independent voters who have voted in the last four statewide elections, on the estimate that they are likely to turn out in Tuesday's special general election.

At a rally for Coakley at Northeastern University on Sunday, Mr. Obama called Brown's independence into question, saying Brown votes with a small band of Republican colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate 96 percent of the time.

On Monday afternoon, Brown defended his independent credentials and said voters want someone who is not an insider.

This program aired on January 18, 2010. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Fred Thys

Fred Thys Reporter
Fred Thys reported on politics and higher education for WBUR.

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