Talking Politics

The X factor

By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | November 24, 2009

Last chance
Punches may also be thrown in two televised debates that will kick off the last week of campaigning.

These back-to-back debates, taking place immediately after the holiday weekend, could be crucial. On Tuesday, WCVB will host a one-hour debate, while a consortium including NECN and WGBH will host one the following evening.

If Coakley's lead is solid, those debates should be largely irrelevant — as long as she doesn't screw up. But if there is an opening for a challenger to emerge and make this a competitive two-person battle, it will likely happen those two nights.

That could be the point when voters — who have seen plenty of Capuano and Pagliuca ads — first take notice of Khazei, who was deemed by many analysts to have performed well in the one previous televised debate.

Even so, Khazei could be hard-pressed to take advantage: he had only $500,000 cash on hand as of November 18. Capuano had $1.1 million, and Coakley had $1.9 million — while Pagliuca, with a personal fortune, presumably has as much as he wants at his disposal.

That means voters should be seeing plenty of the candidates' final pitches in the week after Thanksgiving — if they're not already distracted by their Christmas planning.

To read the "Talking Politics" blog, go to thePhoenix.com/talkingpolitics. David S. Bernstein can be reached at dbernstein@thephoenix.com.

< prev 1 | 2 | 3 |

Does Scott Brown’s victory mean doom for RI Democrats?
Republican Scott Brown's stunning victory this week in the race for the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts has created something approaching panic in the ranks of Congressional Democrats.
How Brown won
As the Massachusetts US Senate election unfolded yesterday, all that the pols and pundits wanted to talk about was how Martha Coakley managed to lose the race. And there is plenty there to dissect. But there is another part of the story, and that is how Scott Brown managed to win it.
Chaos Theory
In less than two weeks, when Massachusetts voters elect Martha Coakley to the US Senate — let's not pretend that Republican state senator Scott Brown has any chance of pulling off the monumental upset — they will trigger a massive domino effect that has the state's political class buzzing with anticipation.
Coakley cashes in at the bar
It's no surprise that Martha Coakley has raised much of her money for her US Senate campaign from lawyers — that has been her professional and social circle for pretty much her entire adult life.
Capuano for Senate
After a telescoped campaign, Massachusetts Democrats go to the polls Tuesday to choose a successor to a legend, Ted Kennedy.
Ready to rumble
Last summer, the upcoming race that got most Bay State politicos salivating was the run for governor.
Coakley for Senate
When Massachusetts voters go to the polls on Tuesday to elect a successor to the late Senator Edward Kennedy, they face a choice that is as clear as the difference between black and white.
Tea-bagger Brown triumphs
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley may be a good person and a dedicated public servant, but thanks to her gut-wrenching loss to tea-bagging Republican Scott Brown in the race for the US Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy, Coakley is now — quite rightly — a figure of local scorn and national derision.
Rhode Island’s own stab at health reform
Health care reform, if it survives the election of Republican Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat, will make insurance accessible and provide a slew of new consumer protections for millions of Americans.
Giant shadow
One striking aspect of the Kennedy tributes was the focus on the help he and his office provided for ordinary individuals in Massachusetts — all those things that fall under the category of "constituent services."
Elephant in the Room
Platoons of state Republicans, energized by Scott Brown's stunning victory over Democrat Martha Coakley last week, are setting their sights on November.
Less

Topics: Talking Politics , Massachusetts, Election Campaigns, Congressional and Parliamentary Elections, More

HTML Prohibited

Add Comment

Today's Event Picks

[MUSIC] Hiromi at Scullers

Plus 4 more >>

ARTICLES BY DAVID S. BERNSTEIN

ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM | January 27, 2010
Platoons of state Republicans, energized by Scott Brown's stunning victory over Democrat Martha Coakley last week, are setting their sights on November.

DISASTER, THEN DÉTENTE | January 25, 2010
From the first days after the earthquake struck Haiti — long before anyone knew how dire the situation was, let alone how the US government would respond — pundits were wagging their tongues about the potential political implications. A poor response, they said, would invite comparisons to the Bush administration's bungled handling of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

HOW BROWN WON | January 22, 2010
As the Massachusetts US Senate election unfolded yesterday, all that the pols and pundits wanted to talk about was how Martha Coakley managed to lose the race. And there is plenty there to dissect. But there is another part of the story, and that is how Scott Brown managed to win it.

READY TO RUMBLE | January 13, 2010
Last summer, the upcoming race that got most Bay State politicos salivating was the run for governor.

CHAOS THEORY | January 08, 2010
In less than two weeks, when Massachusetts voters elect Martha Coakley to the US Senate — let's not pretend that Republican state senator Scott Brown has any chance of pulling off the monumental upset — they will trigger a massive domino effect that has the state's political class buzzing with anticipation.

See all articles by: DAVID S. BERNSTEIN

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

KAREN SCHMEER: 1970-2010
Karen Schmeer, the brilliant local film editor whose work on Errol Morris's documentary The Fog of War helped win it the Best Documentary Oscar in 2004, died January 29 in a tragic accident, struck by a getaway car as she was crossing a street in Manhattan. She would have turned 40 on February 20.

PHOTOS: MARIAH CAREY AT THE WANG THEATRE
Photos of Mariah Carey on her 2010 world tour

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2010
After years of shrinking audiences and low-grossing Best Picture nominees, the Academy this year is hedging its bets.

IS THERE 'HOPE' IN HOLLYWOOD?
Buoyed by President Barack Obama's campaign slogan, many had hopes for change after his election.

BRAVE NEW GLOBE?
Sizing up the Boston Globe 's recent past is easy: simply put, in the past 12 months, the paper has seen enough gut-wrenching drama to change the name of Morrissey Boulevard to Melrose Place. But forecasting the paper's future is another matter.

IS THERE 'HOPE' IN HOLLYWOOD?
Buoyed by President Barack Obama's campaign slogan, many had hopes for change after his election.

STOPPING TIME
BSO music director James Levine has returned to Symphony Hall for the first time since October, when back surgery put him out of commission.

HOW BROWN WON
As the Massachusetts US Senate election unfolded yesterday, all that the pols and pundits wanted to talk about was how Martha Coakley managed to lose the race. And there is plenty there to dissect. But there is another part of the story, and that is how Scott Brown managed to win it.

BOSTON TEEN IN HAITI STRANDED WITHOUT A COUNTRY
Jenny Ulysee was inside her stepmother's hair salon in Mariani, Haiti, when the January 12 earthquake caused a nearby building to buckle and collapse onto the roof of her family's business.

BRAVE NEW GLOBE?
Sizing up the Boston Globe 's recent past is easy: simply put, in the past 12 months, the paper has seen enough gut-wrenching drama to change the name of Morrissey Boulevard to Melrose Place. But forecasting the paper's future is another matter.

HOT TOPICS

Mitt Romney , Deval Patrick , Harvard University , Boston Celtics , National Basketball Association , Hillary Clinton , Martha Coakley , AL East Division , U.S. Republican Party , Ed Davis

Talking Politics

The X factor

Elephant in the Room

How Brown won

Disaster, then détente

Ready to rumble

Chaos Theory