MASS HYSTERIA: Coakley, Brown make their final pitches for the U.S. Senate.
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Epic battle ends at the polls today
Eyes of nation on Mass. as voters decide on Scott Brown, Martha Coakley
By Jessica Van Sack and Hillary Chabot Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Updated 1m ago
A U.S. Senate race widely labeled a yawner just weeks ago reaches a thunderous finish today as Bay State voters cast ballots that could upend Barack Obama’s health-care plan and change the course of his presidency.
Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, 50, of Wrentham faces off against Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley, 56, of Medford in the pivotal contest to fill the remaining two-year term of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
At stake in their intense battle is President Obama’s health-care reform goal, Democrats’ fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and the state’s long-held reputation as a bastion of blue.