Massachusetts Senate Race Has A Real Chance To Turn Red

Jillian Bandes | January 13, 2010 9:40 AM

The Massachusetts Senate race is getting even hotter, with a poll released today showing Democrat Martha Coakley with 49 percent of the vote and her long-shot Republican challenger Scott Brown

with 47 percent. Just a week ago that two point lead was a nine point lead, showing the volatility of this crucial election and the real possibility that exists for Republicans to take the seat.

John Hanlon reported yesterday on the attack strategies of the now-vulnerable Coakley, and it turns out, the big dogs have taken notice. The Wall Street Journal explains how the Democratic lobby has lined up in full force to get their precious candidate back on top. A gala fundraiser was held last night for Coakley, and the individuals in attendance were just who you'd expect:

As first reported by Timothy Carney of the Washington Examiner, the host committee for the fundraiser at Pennsylvania Avenue's Sonoma Restaurant includes lobbyists for Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Novartis and sundry other drug companies that have been among the biggest of ObamaCare's corporate sponsors. Other hosts—who have raised at least $10,000 for Ms. Coakley—include representatives from UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana and other insurers. As far as we can tell, the insurance industry claims to oppose ObamaCare's current incarnation.

Add that to another $700,000 last-minute ad buy from the Service International Employees Union, and you've got some Democrats really running scared.