STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Baker battled to the wire for the governor’s office Tuesday, with each seeking a measure of political redemption.
In one of the early races of the night, Democratic U.S. Sen. Edward Markey claimed his first full six-year term after winning a special election last year to finish out former Sen. John Kerry’s term. He defeated Republican challenger Brian Herr.
Coakley and Baker waged a vigorous Election Day get-out-the-vote drive while hammering home their key campaign themes.
Coakley, the state’s attorney general, lost to Republican Scott Brown during the 2010 special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Democratic stalwart Edward Kennedy.
She would be the first woman elected Massachusetts governor.
Coakley has said she would eliminate a waiting list of 17,000 children seeking state vouchers for prekindergarten, make $500 million in funding available over the next decade to speed the state’s growth and support a ballot measure allowing Massachusetts workers to accrue sick time.
“I think she’s done a fine job as attorney general,” Evelyn Rivet, 79, said after she voted in Worcester. “I like what she did during the recession. She helped keep people in their homes. I think she’s for us, not for big business.”
Dianne Bruce, 56, rode her bike to the polls in another part of Worcester to vote for Baker. “Business creates jobs,” she said, “and Charlie Baker gets business.”
In Somerville, Peter Adams said he typically votes Democrat but ultimately had to choose the “lesser of two evils” — the Republican candidate.
“I really wasn’t crazy about the choices,” he said outside his polling location at an assisted living facility. “I’m not sure if Baker is the right answer for the state, but he’s different. I just was really turned off by Coakley. She just seemed like the same old thing.”
Loretta Obuchowski, a Somerville resident and lifelong Democrat, said voting for Coakley was not a difficult decision, adding that the two-term state attorney general’s record “speaks for itself.” She dismissed critics who said Coakley ran a lackluster campaign.
“Not everyone is about showmanship,” Obuchowski said. “Not everyone has that pizazz. … She’s just busy doing the work.”
Baker, the former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and top official in administrations of former Republican Govs. William Weld and Paul Cellucci, lost in 2010 to Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, who was seeking re-election and at first appeared vulnerable.
Baker has worked hard to appeal to the independent and moderate Democratic voters who are key to any statewide race in Massachusetts.
Baker has been able to close Coakley’s early lead in the polls.
Baker has vowed hold the lid on taxes, increase the number of charter schools and use tax credits to reward businesses that hire welfare recipients and veterans.
He has kept a fundraising advantage over Coakley — an advantage that has been magnified by the more than $8.6 million spent by outside groups supporting his candidacy, nearly all of it from the Republican Governors Association.
Three independents, Evan Falchuk, Scott Lively and Jeff McCormick, also are on Tuesday’s ballot for governor.
Voters will be deciding other statewide contests, including the open race to replace Coakley as attorney general between Democrat Maura Healey and Republican John Miller, and another open race to replace Democratic state Treasurer Steve Grossman, pitting Democrat Deb Goldberg against Republican Mike Heffernan and Green-Rainbow candidate Ian Jackson.
Democratic incumbent state Secretary William Galvin faces off against Republican David D’Arcangelo and Daniel Factor of the Green-Rainbow Party.
Democratic state Auditor Suzanne Bump faces Republican Patricia Saint Aubin and Green-Rainbow member MK Merelice.
There are also four ballot questions asking voters to weigh in on casinos, the gas tax, earned sick time and the state’s bottle deposit law.
Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in Boston contributed to this report. Amy Crawford reported from Worcester.
