Cheat Sheet: What To Watch For Tonight

By Marc Ambinder

Jon Keller, long-time political analyst for WBZ, will watch the working class Democratic cities of Waltham and Quincy to see whether labor was able to turn Democrats out. As Keller noted on CBS's Washington Unplugged, rank-and-file unionists are warming to Brown whilist their leadership rallied around Coakley. (A recent poll showed Brown winning union households by 9 points. No exit polls, though, so we'll have to rely on post-election reporting.)

Chris Cillizza notes that the Tom Menino turnout machine in Boston and the Worcester turnout machine need to maximize their effectiveness. The South Coast -- home to the type of blue collar Democrat who voted for Ed King in 1988 and a series of Republican governors -- is where Brown is campaigning heavily.

Analysts all point to the Catholic vote: if it's even, or tilts Republican -- something we won't know because there aren't exit polls -- then Brown will have won.

Critical swing cities, says Alex Isenstadt of Politico, include Weymouth and Braintree.

Critical markers to watch: Coakley's margins in Boston, Worcester and Cambridge. (Cambridge will report first -- they count quickly.) And Brown's campaign is watching the burgs of Gardner, Fitchburg and Peabody

Websites reporting results: the Secretary of State's office, Cambridge, Boston Globe, The Globe's Tweet Stream, Worcester Telegram, and the Atlantic's Massachusetts Senate Race Tweet list.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/01/cheat-sheet-what-to-watch-for-tonight/33773/