![\"martha](\"http:\/\/d.yimg.com\/a\/p\/ap\/20100120\/capt.82a628cebb594a73951457f60f4e1619.aptopix_massachusetts_senate_masr111.jpg?x=400&y=279&q=85&sig=HZ0qeH3NvqJgva.na4x6sw--\")
Republican candidate Scott Brown has won the special election in Massachusetts to fill the seat of the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley 52% to 47% in a victory that seemed unlikely just weeks ago. The Democrats were hoping to hold onto the seat to preserve a filibuster proof 60-vote super-majority in the Senate. The election results will impact the federal health bill coming up for a vote as Democrats try to deal with the conservative populism of the so-called tea party activists. Scott Brown initially supported the 2006 Landmark Health Care Reform in Massachusetts, but does not support the federal health care bill citing the failure of the Massachusetts plan to contain costs. Approximately 97 percent of Massachusetts residents are covered by health insurance which is by far the most in the nation. However, insurance premiums in Massachusetts are skyrocketing with an expected 10 percent increase scheduled for 2010. Additionally, the \u201cjobless recovery\u201d set against the backdrop of the \u201cbonus culture\u201d for bankers has fueled a populist sentiment which allowed Brown, the more dynamic of the two candidates, to run on a platform of “change.”<\/p>\n