I have no idea how this is going to turn out. That said, Greg Sargent finally has hard turnout numbers from the Massachusetts Secretary of State…
… and they confirm anecdotal evidence that turnout is running much higher than expected in Boston — a boon to Martha Coakley, perhaps, though who knows if it’s enough.
As of 3 PM today, 81,882 people had voted in Boston, according to Brian McNiff, the spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office. That’s more than a fifth of the city’s 358,953 registered voters.
For comparison, by the same time on election day 2006, only slightly more — 87,000 — had voted. And that was during elections for Senate, governor, and multiple lower offices. This single special election has generated nearly the same turnout as all those elections did, at least in Boston — and many think Coakley’s only chance to win is if turnout is disproportionately high there.
Make of that what you will. And I thought I’d share this info, given that all the talking heads on TV have pretty much already called it for Brown. I’d suggest caution is the best course of action… for both sides.
*Know what would make me happier than Coakley winning? Watching every one of these pundits forced to eat their words.