The votes in the Massachusetts special Senate election haven’t been completely counted, but conservative Democrats are already backing away from health care reform in anticipation of their party not being able to hang onto the late Ted Kennedy’s seat.
The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza just tweeted that Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) said that “chances would diminish significantly for achieving health care reform this year” if Democrat Martha Coakley, the state attorney general, loses the election tonight.
Health care reform has become a central issue to the race. The Republican candidate, Scott Brown, has vowed to block the current reform bill if he’s elected. Brown would be the 41st Republican senator and could help sustain a filibuster of the legislation.
