Wasserman Schultz: 'Buck stops with the candidate'

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said late Tuesday that much of the Democrats' loss in Massachusetts should be chalked up to their candidate, Martha Coakley.

Wasserman Schultz, in some of the most direct on-the-record comments blaming Coakley, noted Democrats have a good special election history and laid the blame at the feet of Coakley.

"Quite a bit of this loss can be attributed to the campaign," Wasserman Schultz said on MSNBC. "The buck stops with the candidate, at the end of the day."

While Democrats have been content to lob salvos at Coakley from behind the scenes and on background, Wasserman Schultz was forthcoming in criticizing Coakley.

She said Democrats should avoid a "circular firing squad" and said the blame game is counterproductive, but she also took a series of shots at Coakley.

"You can’t treat a primary campaign as your general election," Wasserman Schultz said, referring to Coakley's big win in December, after which many thought her to be a shoo-in for the Senate.