Obviously, I'm a Democrat. And I think the odds are that Coakley will win the Massachusetts Senate race. (Certainly, I hope she does.)
Still, if Brown actually wins, am I crazy to think he may decide to run for president in 2012?
I mean, the odds will be very much against him winning reelection in 2012 when you'd get full Democratic turnout for a presidential race.
The Republican presidential field for 2012, however, is fairly weak, with nobody the base is really that excited about. Naked pictures notwithstanding, Brown could, at least on paper, be a more appealing candidate than some of the other Republicans running. And even though Mitt Romney is FROM Massachusetts, Brown could likely get more grassroots support.
Meanwhile, he'll get boatloads of press for winning a Senate seat in Massachusetts, could likely be a major presence on FOX News, etc. And he could compare his experience with Obama's - longtime state senator with a short tenure in the U.S. Senate.
He'll have to back away from his pro-choice views, but he has already done that.
I don't know. I really wouldn't be shocked if he launched a presidential bid at the end of the year IF he wins the Senate race.
I was thinking about this subject the other day and I think it's definitely a possibility. The latest poll has Brown ahead of Coakley by one point, 48% to 47% (granted, 6% were undecided):
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_MA_45398436.pdfI agree with you that If Brown does win, he will definitely get tons of publicity. If he's successful as a Senator, he definitely has a chance of running in 2016, but 2012 seems to early and he'd be relatively inexperienced. Republicans should nominate someone more experienced in 2012 if they want a shot at getting the White House back. As I said, though, if Brown has a successful time as Senator and can survive until 2016, I think he definitely could be a 2016 candidate.
