Martha Coakley may be the state's attorney general, but her Senate rival is vying to match her law-and-order credentials. Republican Scott Brown was scheduled Monday to receive the endorsement of the State Police Association of Massachusetts. It represents rank-and-file troopers.Association President Richard Brown says "the terrorist threat in this country is real and Scott Brown will always come down on the side of protecting our nation."
The association frequently backs Republican candidates, as it did in the 2006 gubernatorial race. Brown and Coakley are battling to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. He died in August of brain cancer. Businessman Joseph L. Kennedy -- no relation to the political family -- is also competing in the Jan. 19 election.