There's plenty blame to go around for Martha Coakley's poor showing, including the little-known fact that the Kennedy family and the late senator's extensive network of loyalists were cool to her candidacy. The senator's widow and other Kennedy people plunged in only after the polls showed Coakley was in danger of losing the seat that had been Kennedy's for 47 years. The reason for the standoffishness goes back to what Kennedy people regarded as Coakley's tastelessly talking about running and positioning herself for the seat while Kennedy was still alive. And while Coakley is a solid Democrat, she had never really worked directly with Kennedy on anything, according to a former Kennedy aide, so she didn't have the appellation of "a Kennedy person," which would have opened the door to a lot more resources earlier in the race.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
