THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________
For Immediate Release January 19, 2010
Statement from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
"This evening the President spoke to both candidates in the hard-fought Massachusetts Senate race. The President congratulated Senator Brown on his victory and a well-run campaign. The President told Senator Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation.
The President thanked Attorney General Coakley for her hard work and urged her to continue her advocacy on behalf of working people."
The Boston Globe MetroDesk has a liveblog of some reaction from key players:
9:46 p.m. -- "Tonight, Scott Brown made history by exceeding all expectations and defeating Martha Coakley in the heart of the Democrat Party’s political stronghold," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
9:44 p.m. -- "It goes without saying that we are disappointed in tonight's result. There will be plenty of time to dissect this race and to apply the lessons learned from it ... we will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the America people and we will redouble our efforts to lay out a clear choice for voters this November" -- Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine.
9:38 p.m. -- "I have no interest in sugar coating what happened in Massachusetts. There is a lot of anxiety in the country right now. Americans are understandably impatient" -- Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez.
"In the days ahead, we will sort through the lessons of Massachusetts: the need to redouble our efforts on the economy, the need to show that our commitment to real change is as powerful as it was in 2008, and the reality that we cannot take a single thing for granted and cannot afford even a second of complacency."