Coakley, Baker Continue to Duke it Out as Election Approaches

The candidates in the race for Mass. Governor have just over three weeks until election day

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas joined Martha Coakley at a Lowell restaurant to promote Coakley's economic plan which she says will provide early education to all children on the Massachusetts wait list and boost infrastructure at a cost of about a half billion dollars over the next ten years. It's much lower number than the billions of dollars her Republican opponent, Charlie Baker, has said it will cost.

"He's wrong. I don't know where he got that number from, he's just plain wrong. This race is about who you're going to invest in , who you're going to help. How you're going to make this economy grow. We differ completely on our approach to that," said Coakley.

Baker says State Treasurer Steve Grossman, Coakley's democratic primary opponent, called Coakley's plan a fake one.

He says his plan, designed to support Gateway cities, small businesses and people coming off public assistance is a better plan at a lower cost.

With just over three weeks until the election and recent polls showing a dead heat, the candidates are entering crunch time and their calling in the big guns to help them make their case.

For Martha Coakley, that means, in addition to the Michelle Obama visit last week, upcoming visits from Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.

When asked if she planned to push to have President Obama come to Massachusetts, Coakley said, "I have said I would be delighted if the President has time and wants to come to Massachusetts."

Coakley says her campaign has been in talks but she's not sure if the President is coming.

"The fact that the AG, a sitting AG, has to call in outsiders from Washington and other parts of the country to create excitement bout her campaign, I think is an indicator that we, clearly at this point, have the ears of the voters in Massachusetts," said Baker.

Baker is having a fundraiser next week headlined by Mitt Romney.

When asked why he was fundraising with Romney, but not campaigning with him, Baker said, "I'm very pleased to have a bi-partisan fundraiser with Jack Connors and Mitt Romney, both of whom know Massachusetts quite well."

Coakley shot back, "Voters will get to measure that. All I know is that I'd much rather campaign in Massachusetts with Bill Clinton."

The Coakley campaign says Friday's Globe poll, which shows Coakley up by five points, an eight point swing since last Friday, is a clear indicator that the attack ad from the Baker Super PAC has back fired.

Baker says he has no control over outside ads and does not believe the polls have been effected by it. 

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