Coakley: I’ll Win Tuesday

Coakley told The Examiner the poll numbers have been varied.

“And even if they were accurate in a race like this,” Coakley said, “They can’t predict what’s going to happen on January 19th. We feel really good with our phone calls and with our campaign and we are going to be able to get out the vote and win on Tuesday.”

Coakley met with about 200 supporters at a rally in Newburyport. The event was held at Michael’s Harborside Restaurant. About 50 Brown supporters stood on a hill overlooking the restaurant, chanting their candidate’s name as Coakley pulled up in a sedan.

“I am totally convinced when we show up to vote as good Democrats on Tuesday, we will win this race,” she told the crowd inside.

A smattering of Coakley volunteers lined the streets near the restaurant.

Newburyport resident Jim Stanton, 63, said 20 volunteers showed up to make calls on Coakley’s behalf on Saturday.

“They are really coming out of the woodwork,” Stanton said. “A lot of people have been energized by the tightening of the race.”

Stanton said he was “initially discouraged with the first 20 calls,” he made.

“But overall,” he said. “There was significant support for Martha.”

When a white car rolled up to Stanton and his giant Coakley sign, the man behind the wheel had nothing good to say about the candidate or President Barack Obama, who will show up Sunday to campaign on behalf of Coakley.

“Obama messed up,” he called to Stanton, before driving off.

Among Coakley’s supporters, there is a sense of excitement about Tuesday and significant worry, too, as they work desperately to rally volunteers to make calls and hold signs.

State Sen. Steve Baddour, a Democrat representing the Methuen area, said he tells Coakley supporters “I don’t know yet,” when they ask him to predict the outcome of the race.

“This race is too close to call,” he told the crowd at Michael’s. “We can turn this around but we can’t do it without you.”