On Tuesday, January 19^th, voters in Massachusetts will have their chance to elect a woman to the late Edward Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat.  Secretary of State Martha Coakley (D) has a chance to become the first woman from Massachusetts to serve in the U.S. Senate.  Martha Coakley handily won the primary election that was held in December and has been considered the favorite to win the special election on Tuesday.

The political climate has changed, however, and the race is now neck and neck between Coakley and her Republican opponent, State Senator Scott Brown.  On Sunday, President Barack Obama campaigned in Massachusetts for Martha Coakley.  While normally a blue state, Massachusetts’ conservative voters are energized by the poor economy and their opposition to health care reform.  Many pundits believe the race is less about the candidates and is more a referendum on the President’s policies, particularly health care.

Breaking the glass ceiling is nothing new to Martha Coakley.  She became the first female attorney general in her state of Massachusetts by winning 73% of the vote. She has received the lion’s share of major state political endorsements in the Senate race, including the Edward Kennedy’s widow, Vicki Kennedy, the Massachusetts Coalition of Police, a dozen key labor unions, and womens’ pro-choice groups including Emily’s List.

For more information, visit http://www.marthacoakley.com.