Massachusetts: Attorney General Martha Coakley won the September 9 Democratic primary with 42 percent of the vote to 36 percent for state Treasurer Steve Grossman and 21 percent for Donald Berwick, the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services. Coakley faces former Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charlie Baker in the general election. Baker was the party’s nominee in 2010 and took 42 percent to 48 percent for Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick; independent Tim Cahill got 8 percent. Apart from running in a very blue state in a presidential year, Baker struggled to connect with voters. Strategists say that he will run a different campaign this time that focuses more on meeting voters than simply promoting policy proposals. There are two other candidates in the race: Evan Falchuk, the former CEO of Best Doctors who is running under the United Independent Party banner; and Jeff McCormick, a wealthy venture capitalist who is running as an independent. The Bay State is difficult for Republicans even in mid-term elections, and 2014 won’t be any exception. At the same time, Coakley can’t seem to
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