Coakley Trails Brown in Bellwether Polls

The ad features parts of Mr. Obama's speech from a Sunday Coakley campaign event.

"Martha knows the struggles Massachusetts working families face because she's lived those struggles," Mr. Obama says in the ad. "She's fought for the people of Massachusetts every single day. As attorney general she took on Wall Street and recovered millions for Massachusetts taxpayers. She went after big insurance companies, took on predatory lenders. That's what Martha Coakley's all about."

The president's stump speech for Coakley is likely to be repeated this year as Mr. Obama campaigns for other Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections, but this election is of particular importance to the president since it could determine the fate of his health care reform agenda.

Scott Brown vs. Martha Coakley: It's All About Enthusiasm
Coakley vs. Brown Offers Preview of Obama's 2010 Stump Speech
Turnout Is Key in Mass. Senate Race

Not long ago, Democrats expected to easily win the Tuesday special election for the Senate seat formerly held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

The outlook of the race, however, looks increasingly shaky for Democrats. According to polling data released today from Suffolk University, Brown holds double-digit leads over Coakley in three Massachusetts communities considered bellwethers. The communities of Gardner, Fitchburg and Peabody are considered bellwethers because in the Nov. 2006 Senate race, the results in each community nearly matched statewide results. Also, party registration in those cities is similar to statewide registration.

In Gardner, Brown leads Coakley by 15 points, 55 percent to 40 percent. In Fitchburg, Brown has a 14-point lead at 55 percent to 41 percent, and in Peabody, voters give Brown a 17-point lead at 57 percent to 40 percent.