In a stunning upset, a Republican in Massachusetts has apparently won the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly a half-century by one of the nation’s most liberal lawmakers, the late Edward “Ted” Kennedy.
Even though all the votes have not yet been counted in Tuesday’s election to fill Kennedy’s seat, results indicate Republican state Senator Scott Brown has defeated Democrat Martha Coakley, the state’s attorney general.
Late Tuesday, Coakley told supporters she telephoned her opponent to offer him congratulations.
The apparent loss by the once-favored Coakley could signal big problems for President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party later this year, when U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot nationwide.
But a more immediate problem for the president is that Brown will become the 41st Republican in the 100-member Senate, which could allow the minority party to block the president’s health care legislation and the rest of his agenda.
Democrats needed Coakley to win in order to maintain their super-majority and thwart Republican procedural maneuvers used to block votes on legislation.
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