Obama, Giuliani, Clinton in Massachusetts as New Senate Poll Shows Trouble for Coakley

A new poll Friday from Suffolk University showed Brown with a 50-46 percent lead over Coakley, the attorney general once considered a sure bet in the special election Tuesday to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. If Coakley loses, Democrats will lose the 60-vote majority they need to cut off Republican filibusters and pass bills.

Giuliani told Massachusetts voters to send Obama and his party a "loud and clear" signal by electing Brown. A few hours later, speaking to some 700 Coakley supporters in a hotel ballroom, former president Bill Clinton implored the same voters not to "repeat the mistakes" of eight years under national Republicans. "You just have to decide whether you want us to be a tomorrow country or a yesterday country," he said, adding that Coakley is the "tomorrow" candidate.

The last thing Democrats expected was that the race in this usually reliable Democratic state would imperil Kennedy's life's work on health care. His sons and widow have mobilized to help Coakley, as have Obama and core Democratic constituencies such as unions. Clinton did rallies with Coakley on Friday in Boston and Worcester. Highlighting the stakes for Democrats, Obama himself will be here Sunday.

Energized conservatives have been pouring money into Brown's campaign since it became clear a week ago that he had a shot at winning. Giuliani, the former New York mayor who became known as "America's mayor" in the wake of 9/11, said Paul Revere "warned about danger and woke up the people of Massachusetts and New England at a much earlier time in our history. And we need Scott now to wake us up about some of the mistakes that we are making."

A Brown victory would be a clear protest against Democratic policies on terrorism, spending, and health care reform, Giuliani said, and added: "If the people of Massachusetts do it, boy, it'll be heard all around the country." He and Brown said Coakley doesn't understand the terrorist threat to the United States.

Brown depicts himself as a non-partisan everyman. "This is a historic election to bring common sense back to Washington," he said. He opposes Obama's plans on health, energy, the economy and financial regulation. He also opposes Obama's proposed fee on banks to recoup tens of billions in bailout money that they received to keep them from collapse. He said Friday that banks would pass the cost to consumers.

Coakley's campaign announced a four-day "Fighting For You" tour across the state. She framed the race in those terms at the rally with Clinton. "The choice is clear. Scott Brown will fight for the wealthy, for Wall Street. I'm going to fight for you," she said.

Democrats at the rally said Brown's approach to "common sense" would mean working with Capitol Hill Republicans to kill Obama's initiatives and restore the policies that voters rejected in the 2008 election. "This is an extraordinary camouflage campaign," said Sen. John Kerry, who appeared using a cane after a recent hip replacement operation. "For eight years he was George Bush's yes man. Now he wants to go to Washington and become (Senate Republican leader) Mitch McConnell's no man."

There are more than three times as many Democrats as Republicans in Massachusetts, but more than half the state's voters are not registered with any party.