Boston Globe calls election for Martha Coakley?

Globe Regrets The Mishap

Boston Turnout -- Enough For Martha?

63 Comments

• Dan said:

  It's probably just test data the programmers used for their interactive graphic and inadvertently pushed to the live site when preparing for returns to come in.

  January 19, 2010 12:57 PM

• jpecci said:

  This is fake.  They were probably hacked or a prank

  January 19, 2010 12:59 PM

• Kevin L said:

  Wait, what exactly is the conspiracy theory here? That the election commission decided to rig the election and their first step was to tell the Globe, a newspaper?

  Or that the Globe put the map up without switching off the test data set that was used during development?

  January 19, 2010 1:06 PM

• Michael said:

  You have got to be kidding.  The Dem machine is masterful at cheating, but if the books have already been cooked they are even better cheaters than I ever imagined.  

  January 19, 2010 1:14 PM

• Foxed said:

  I know I myself am terrible about this (websites in progress should not be live), but the Globe probably put in sample numbers to see how it works.

  I hope.

  January 19, 2010 1:15 PM

• Gordo said:

  Does this surprise anyone?

  January 19, 2010 1:16 PM

• Charles Wright said:

  As a journalist, I find this reprehensible. In fact, having violated the public trust, I don't know why anyone would bother to read your newspaper.

  Sincerely,

  Charles S. Wright

  January 19, 2010 1:17 PM

• BevHarris said:

  The media often posts what look like early results, but this is typically just testing their results Web page with dummy numbers. It's great that people caught screen shots though, because if the results do match it will be important.

  January 19, 2010 1:22 PM

• DTG in NNJ said:

  Interestingly the sum of Brown and Kennedy is one (1) more than the total of Coakley

  January 19, 2010 1:25 PM

• EPIC FAIL! said:

  If Scott Brown wins, these pictures are going straight to FAIL Blog.

  January 19, 2010 1:32 PM

• John said:

  No one "tests" anything on a live website, any more than you post fake but real appearing articles to the front page as a "test."  

  There is no reason to do so, and every reason not to do so, especially with something as sensitive as an election.  If for some reason you were to do such a thing, you certainly wouldn't use real appearing data.

  January 19, 2010 1:34 PM

• Globetrotter said:

  The Globe was just testing the app they use to display this information.  They used garbage data to run it.  It wasn't supposed to go live with the garbage data in it, it was supposed to be blank.  

  Someone forgot to decouple the test database.

  January 19, 2010 1:36 PM

• Pat said:

  And if Brown only loses 52-47, Martha's in for a bad night :)

  January 19, 2010 1:37 PM

• jon said:

  Those must be the results for some other race, because it looks like Brown is not even taking his own Mass Senate district in that map.

  January 19, 2010 1:38 PM

• CraigH said:

  As an engineer, I purposely skew dummy numbers so they look nothing like actuals so as to avoid confusion. They could have posted the results of the last Senate race as dummy numbers.

  Of course no one will use these numbers as actuals now that they have been publicized. I would have held onto the screenshots until after the election.

  January 19, 2010 1:39 PM

• MostlyRight said:

  BevHarris...professionals are perfectly capable of testing their results web pages without publishing publicly.  What happened here is just clumsy.

  The importance is not likely to be "if the results do match".  The importance is to demonstrate yet another example of main stream liberal media bias.

  January 19, 2010 1:42 PM

• Michael said:

  This has got to simply be dummy test numbers.  I added up the total number of Brown and Kennedy votes, and it comes to 1,032,451 - one vote more than Coakley, setting up a storyline that Kennedy cost Brown the election by 1 vote.  

  I doubt anyone would seriously buy that if it were reported as the real results.  Much more likely that the person programming the test numbers is holding out hope for a Coakley win.

  January 19, 2010 1:50 PM

• Check it said:

  Check it out - if you add the Ind's votes to the Rep's he'd win by 1 vote!  Of course, they've been saying all along he'd take from Brown & not from Coakley...

  January 19, 2010 1:55 PM

• the dude said:

  shoot this over to Drudge.  He'd love to see this!

  January 19, 2010 2:05 PM

• BradFord said:

  Same thing happened with Politico. They said the numbers were sent as a test by the Associated Press.

  January 19, 2010 2:09 PM

• DontAxeMe said:

  If it's just a test, why show Coakley winning?  I think there's more to it....trying to influence results at the very least.

  January 19, 2010 2:26 PM

• Jimbo said:

  Tally Joe Kennedy and Scott Brown and you get one vote more than Coakley got.  Perhaps wishful thinking on the Globe's part?

  January 19, 2010 2:44 PM

• Thinking said:

  If anything, that would influence the Scott supporters to vote late, since it is so close

  January 19, 2010 2:48 PM

• John Boy Virginia said:

  Hoooooolllyyyy moooollllyy!!!! It even says "100% reporting"!!!!!!!

  January 19, 2010 2:51 PM

• Lukuj said:

  Typical biased media tactics.  If the results are known, why vote?  They assume people will be stupid enough to believe them.  The Dem constinuency might be, but most conservatives have brains in their heads and are not afraid to use them.

  January 19, 2010 2:53 PM

• addemup said:

  Look at the numbers. With Kennedy's votes, Brown would win by one vote. Obviously a test.

  January 19, 2010 2:54 PM

• HomeinBoston said:

  I don't know about some major conspiracy--that sounds, well, ridiculous.

  But I sure would be happy if these are the final results.

  Scott Brown hired temps: GO back to wherever hole you came from!!

  January 19, 2010 2:54 PM

• crabtreatmania said:

  The boston globe is  trying to make sure that voters get depressed so  martha  can win  their liberals and   are just angry  because OMBAMS health care plan is about to go  up in smoke

  January 19, 2010 2:55 PM

• Joe said:

  If you look at the vote totals for Brown and Kennedy combined it is 1 more vote then Coakley...this might have been a test...

  January 19, 2010 2:57 PM

• Ableone said:

  As Stalin said 'it does not matter who votes for whom but who counts the votes'. Add to that almost 200,000 expired voters still on the roles, I am surprised it is not a landslide for the Obama candidate

  January 19, 2010 2:59 PM

• Kelly said:

  I wouldn't be surprised if it were just a test, but the fact that they didn't announce it as such and pulled it down without mentioning it are suspicious.

  January 19, 2010 3:00 PM

• Hunter said:

  oh my god! It's a conspiracy... quick, get out the tin foil hats... give me a break.

  January 19, 2010 3:01 PM

• JGavagan said:

  Please Mass, get out and vote Brown.  This country is depressed enough.  Please give us a "ray of hope."

  January 19, 2010 3:16 PM

• Susan said:

  Actually, the Globe should test their system, becaue in the primaries they had Coakley and Capuano's #s reversed for a while.

  January 19, 2010 3:17 PM

• chris said:

  Nice try Boston Globe - we are not buying the 11th attempt to influence the undecided - lets talk tonight after 8:00 pm

  January 19, 2010 3:20 PM

• Chief Radioman said:

  This sounds like ABC calling it for Gore in 2000, when there were still, like now 5 hours until the polls close. As someone said it the results match this, I think an investigation of the MA election commission should be started.

  I pray to GOD, Allah and Budda and anyone who will listen that my home state gets some common sense and elects Brown.

  If only 30% of Massachusetts is happy with thier "new improved" healthcare, then what's going to happen when the Nation gets stuck with another massive entitlement program.

  Please Commonwealth, do it for your country.

  January 19, 2010 3:34 PM

• HouTexas said:

  Mass. voters can show the country and the so called leaders in Washinton that we are still here and not going away.  And that they are next unless they start to listen to us.  I have to give credit to the Dems.. it's because of them that i'm voting this time around, and not for them....  

  January 19, 2010 3:36 PM

• Jon said:

  JGavagan,

  Where were you the previous 8 years when the other half of the country was depressed?

  KTHXBI

  January 19, 2010 3:36 PM

• GarandFan said:

  Does anyone believe anything the Globe says?

  January 19, 2010 3:36 PM

• NeedingPeace said:

  Interesting that the people who belittle the "conspiracy" theories about the Globe usually have PLENTY of wacko theories of their own about anyone with views opposing their own.

  Yeah. I think this election could STINK to high heaven with ACORN-type corruption... INCLUDING the Globe.  WHO believes them anymore anyway?  

  I NEVER thought in a million years that I'd say this, but I hope it's  a LANDSLIDE for BROWN!

  I want my country back from those thugs.

  January 19, 2010 4:06 PM

• JamesL said:

  I think a number of you are missing the point. I think this has more to do with The Glob trying to discourage Brown voters from going to the polls this afternoon. This is a very common, pathetic and desperate propoganda tactic often used by Democrats.

  January 19, 2010 4:30 PM

• MawmInc said:

  Did anyone notice that the vote tallies were exactly: Brown + Kennedy = Coakley + 1?

  Seems like the developer/s were using 50/49/1% as test numbers.  Maybe we can glean the map developers' opinion on the outcome?

  January 19, 2010 4:39 PM

• ducdebrabant said:

  If the Republicans can convince themselves that Obama didn't win the election and took office due to massive fraud (of an unspecified kind in unspecified locations by unspecified means) by ACORN (the new Illuminati right wing paranoid fantasies) they can convince themselves of anything, including that the Boston Globe is hand in glove with all the various boards of elections.

  January 19, 2010 4:40 PM

• ducdebrabant said:

  Wow, when was the last time some jerk from Texas talked about himself and Massachusetts voters as "us"?  If they end up electing Coakley, HouTexas will go right back to calling anybody from Massachusetts an instrument of the Devil.

  January 19, 2010 4:46 PM

• ducdebrabant said:

  They may have tested the software in several ways, including a Brown win, that just may not have inadvertently ended up in the public feed.

  January 19, 2010 4:48 PM

• Ragnar Danneskjold said:

  Democrats cheat? NO WAY, Teddy Kennedy Did not murder Mary Jo ether, yea right, a skunk by any other name is still a democrat. Trust me if a democrat is not lieing to you they are trying to steal your wallet.

  January 19, 2010 6:08 PM

• Val Fitzgerald said:

  Does anyone in Massachusetts really think that the people of Mass. will keep their healthcare, if Brown The Republican, gets in?  Sheesh, let me have some of whatever you're smoking!

  And don't let the other side--with less people, twice as many lies and ten times more money--win. Spare us the sight of Massachusetts sinking like a rock thrown into the sea. Please.

  January 19, 2010 6:34 PM

• Ragnar Danneskjold said:

  Maybe the government should not be covering your health care. Maybe if you sit around with your hand out waiting for something free maybe you should be off the planet.

  What has given the US the worst crime rate in history? The Democrats and hand outs. Can't liberals understand that the democrats are just buying votes with your money? That the scum Democrats in Washington don't care about you. You are just a meal ticket for a democrat scumbag.

  But go ahead drink the Koolaid. You paid for it.

  Darwin pretty much summed it up.

  January 19, 2010 6:54 PM

• coolmikey said:

  Don't you think the Globe will have its employees joining the site just to post dismissive comment and make it appear as if it was an innocent mistake. They are really terrible cheaters and worse liars.

  January 19, 2010 7:12 PM

• Ranger said:

  @The Boston Globe, I am looking for the interactive map that was 'accidently' posted yesterday.   I can not seem to find this map today.  Why is that?

  January 20, 2010 11:16 AM

• livfreeordi said:

  No conspiracy.

  This was just the Globe's wishful thinking on display.

  January 21, 2010 2:12 PM

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