Republican Scott Brown has defeated Democrat Martha Coakley, for the Congressional seat of the late senator, Ted Kennedy. Brown has vowed to use his crucial win to destroy U.S. President Barack Obama's health care bill.

Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race

...Brown will give Republicans a 41st seat in the Senate, robbing Democrats of the filibuster-proof majority the party had used to pass President Obama's health care plan late last year. In the immediate lead-up to tonight's vote, Democrats -- including the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) -- insisted that the party would move forward on health care but it is unclear whether that bravado will carry over in the coming days as the party seeks to deal with Coakley's stunning upset.

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