Coakley: The Cynical Interpretation

Published May 20 2008, 09:54 PM by David S. Bernstein

Martha Coakley -- a superdelegate to the DNC -- announced this afternoon that she is going to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Coakley would be on the short list of likely candidates for US Senate, if Ted Kennedy's condition requires him to give up the seat.

Hillary Clinton is immensely popular in Massachusetts, and her endorsement or assistance would be invaluable for a Senatorial candidate here. As would the endorsement and assistance of the many, many pols in the state -- including almost all of the most significant women leaders -- who are ardently supporting Clinton.

The timing of Coakley's endorsement of Clinton certainly suggests -- if one has a cynical view of politics -- that Martha is throwing her hat in the ring for a potential open senate seat.

Update: Please see the explanation regarding the timing of the announcement in the comments to this post.