BOSTON — At 9:20, the first rumors of Scott Brown’s victory in the Massachusetts Senate race started to work around the room. A moment later, Doug Flutie turned around from a TV interview to face the crowded Park Plaza Hotel ballroom, give a thumb’s up, and say “won!”
But nothing was official until 9:25 p.m., when Scott Brown’s daughter Ayla announced that Democratic candidate Martha Coakley had conceded the Senate race. The roaring applause lasted for two minutes before Ayla–a former American Idol contestant–serenaded the crowd with “Dancin’ in the Streets.”
There’s no overstating the enthusiasm in the room. After the song, the crowd began chanting “Seat him now!”–a reference to rumors that Democrats will see how long they can hold onto the seat before Brown is sworn in. Then: “John Kerry’s next!” And then, most bitterly for Democrats: “Yes we did!”