Looks like a margin of around 100,000 or so for Brown, depending on Boston vote.
Associated Press calls it for Brown
MSNBC confirms Coakley concession
Update at 6:20/9:20
This thing may just be over
Right now with 66% in
Brown: 757,885
Coakley: 668,881
A lead of 89,000 votes
In Boston we have over half the vote in and if the current trend continued then Coakley could only gain another 20,000 or so. Even if the city went 3-1 for Coakley (which is quite possible) she would only gain about 30,000.
Rumors are Coakley has conceded but nothing official
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Let’s take a look at Boston, which could be the key to the race
Right now we have 94/254 precincts counted (or roughly 38%). Coakley leads 32,700 to 19,800. Assuming she keeps this margin she would carry the city overall by 35,000 votes or a gain of 22,000 which is hardly enough to help.
Of course Boston is just the core, it doesn’t cover all of Suffolk County but it appears most of the rest of the area is in already.
Still you cannot count it out yet.
But it’s not looking good for Coakley
Update: 9pm/6pm. Big jump, now to 57%
Brown still leads
Brown: 653,782 (53%)
Coakley: 575,357 (46%)
Update (8:50/5:50): Now with 36% of the vote in
Brown: 407,727 (52)
Coakley: 365,672 (47)
Up to 10% in Boston and now the Coakley lead is 56-43.
Brown winning bellweather of Fitchburg by a 57-41 margin with about 50% of the vote in there
Lots of empty areas but it looks like the heavily Democratic areas in the west are almost 100% counted. Many areas that were predicted for Brown are not in yet. But Boston still not in.
Update (8:45/5:45). Now up to 21% statewide
Brown: 249,106 (53%)
Coakley: 216,117 (46%)
Only about 5% in from Boston (Coakley only leads 53-46 ???) but more than 35% in most of the liberal enclaves around the city (Milton, Newton, Cambridge) so that may balance out.
Assuming turnout in Boston is the reported 90,000 or so and Boston gives Coakley a 3-1 edge that would mean an advantage for her of 65,000 or so from the city. Right now that could overtake Brown so it aint over.
Odd that the city is taking so long to report.
Update (8:35/5:35): Globe site appears to be back up again
Current Results With 17% reporting
Brown: 200,793 (53%)
Coakley: 182,488 (46%)
It looks like only a smaller amount in from Boston proper so that could mean a surge at some point for Coakley, but it does appear that Brown is winning the bellweather of Fitchburg
Update (8:30/5:30): about 11% of vote counted
Brown: 143,950 (52.2%)
Coakley: 126,037 (46.9%)
Update (8:20/5:20)
I’m trying to find where the results are from. I’d hoped to use the Boston Globe web site but it appears to have crashed.
With 5% of the vote in Brown leads
Brown: 54,240 (52%)
Coakley: 49,077 (47%)
Not clear where these returns are from
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Polls have just closed in Massachusetts. (8pm/5pm)
No returns yet but I’ll do my best to live track them as they come in.
All of the news networks (CNN/MSNBC/Fox) are echoing each other in reporting word from the Coakley camp that things are very bad for the candidate. Nothing official yet but it certainly is not what you expected to hear at poll closing, usually it’s the standard confidence and such.
Some interesting visuals on CNN. Brown headquarters is full and with lots of energy, at Coakley HQ the reporter indicated most of the people in the room were reporters.