Former Pres. Clinton endorses Coakley in Mass. Senate race

Former President Bill Clinton endorsed state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) in the race to fill the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D) seat in the Massachusetts special election.

Clinton also recorded a robo-call message on Coakley's behalf, urging voters to turn out and vote for the attorney general on Tuesday.

"Hello, this is President Bill Clinton. I'm calling to remind you to vote tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 8. And I hope you will vote for Attorney General Martha Coakley as your next U.S. senator,” Clinton says in the 30-second message.

"Martha Coakley will go to Washington to fight every day to create good jobs with good benefits and to get health reform with a strong public option. You can trust her to get results in the Senate just as she has as your attorney general," the former president added. "This election is very important in Massachusetts, and don't forget to vote tomorrow. And please, don't forget to vote for Martha Coakley."

Pollsters have long considered Coakley the favorite to win the special-election primary, in part because of her wide name recognition.

Still, Rep. Michael Cupuano (D) and local activist Alan Khazei — who have scored previous endorsements from former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, respectively — have been competitive throughout the race.

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