A constant stream of voters slogged through a light snow this morning to cast ballots in the unexpectedly close election to succeed the late Edward M. Kennedy in the US Senate.
Republican Scott Brown has surged more than 30 points in the polls in his bid to upset the one-time front-runner, Democrat Martha Coakley, for a seat her party has held for generations.
(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)
"I'm trying to save the nation today," said Robert Cappello, 69, a registered Republican and enthusiastic Brown voter from South Boston who reveled in what he described as an "overwhelming sweep" of momentum for his candidate.
"This election is a lot about sending a message," Cappello said in an excited voice outside a polling place on H Street. "It's telling Washington to slow down."
In West Roxbury at St. George Orthodox Church, Phil DiCarlo cast his ballot for Coakley but noted how quickly the Brown campaign gathered steam.
"It seems like people have short memories," DiCarlo said. "They forgot about the last eight years" under former president George Bush.
Another Coakley backer, Mary Hochman, criticized her candidate's campaign and noted that Republicans nationally seemed to have a better sense of the importance of the vote.
"This is Ted's seat," Hochman said. "Who would have thought it?"
By 9 a.m. in Boston, more than 23,000 ballots had been cast, an early turnout significantly higher than in the primary last month. In Back Bay, the crowd voting at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square far eclipsed the numbers for the primary last month. Poll workers said the difference in turnout was like night and day.
The same held true at Bates Elementary School in Wellesley, where a line of cars at the polling place spilled out onto Elmwood Road. By 9 a.m., some 400 ballots had been cast.
Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, has vowed to be the crucial 41st Republican vote blocking President Obamas health care legislation in the Senate. Coakley supports the overhaul and stood with Obama in Boston this weekend at a rally for her campaign.
An independent candidate, Joseph L. Kennedy of Dedham -- no relation to the late senator -- also appears on todays ballot.
In Natick, the persistent flow of voters included Rex Kidd, 48, the owner of a local masonry and paving company who voted for Brown because of his pro-business, conservative views.
"I respect Martha Coakley and what she's accomplished in her career. But I think she's going to preserve the status quo," Kidd said. "Scott Brown can take us to the next level
[Brown] is going to decrease my taxes and get rid of all the wasteful spending that Deval Patrick has done. Cutting taxes fuels the economy, not charging more taxes and spending it on social programs."
Outside Natick High School, Randy Divinski took a vacation day from his job at a non-profit to clutch a Coakley sign in 30-degree weather.
"I am bothered by stealth Republicans who run as moderate," said Divinski, 46. "Brown has a political record, but that is not what he's running on," said Divinski. "We've just had eight years of screwball economic policies, and he wants to go back to that? One Herbert Hoover is enough."
In Jamaica Plain at Kennedy Elementary school, more than 100 people -- or about 10 percent of voters -- had cast ballots by 11 a.m. That number equaled roughly the entire turnout for the primary last month. Like most of the others interviewed in this left-leaning precinct, Sasha Cantu, 21, said she voted for Martha Coakley.
I dont want Brown because he didnt want to help rape victims, Cantu said. Shell do everything Teddy Kennedy wanted to do.
In South Boston, Patrick Shaughnessy, 33, cast his vote for Brown because of Coakley's "entitlement attitude."
"She didn't really campaign. She wouldn't debate him one-on-one," said Shaughnessy, an unenrolled voter who supported Republican Senator John McCain in 2008. "She just expected to win."
Another unenrolled voter, Jackie Crowell, 26, also voted for Brown. "I think my views align a lot better with his than Martha Coakley's," Crowell said.
Maureen Downs, 51, came to the opposite conclusion and cast her vote for Coakley.
"I don't agree with Scott Brown's positions on anything," said Downs, citing economic regulations, emergency contraception, and more.
Her husband, Eddie Downs, 50, added: "I just don't think he would be good for the working man and woman of the Commonwealth."
Democrats are hoping a coordinated get-out-the-vote effort for Coakley will hold off the surging Republican. Brown's campaign is hoping the raw energy among his supporters is enough to overpower the states Democratic machinery.
The cold, cloudy weather could be a challenge for the candidates. Intermittent light snow showers and some rain are expected throughout the day and into the early evening.
Polls remain open until 8 p.m.
To read profiles of the candidates and a rundown of where they stand on the issues, click here for Brown; here for Coakley; and here for Kennedy. To find out where to vote, click here.
