Democratic Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley's numerous missteps and cringeworthy moments are captured in a new ad from the Republican Governors Association.
In one exchange, Coakley repeatedly dodged a question on whether she would raise fees in lieu of raising taxes and was asked by a moderator if she would pledge not to raise them. When her Republican opponent Charlie Baker promised he wouldn't, Coakley said, "Then I'm not going to raise fees either."
In another, Coakley was booed by a debate audience when she answered "I don't know" to a direct, yes-or-no question about whether illegal immigrants should get driver's licenses in the commonwealth. When Baker was asked, he immediately answered, "No."
Coakley trailed Baker by seven points in a recent Boston Globe poll, with one analyst calling it a "very solid" advantage for Baker. This is in a state that went for Barack Obama by 25 points in 2008 and 23 points in 2012, but then again, Coakley also lost a U.S. Senate race to Republican Scott Brown in 2010.