Brown vs. Coakley 2: Tips for Political Junkies

DC-based Politico is pretty much all politics all the time, generally with a leftward slant but written by reporters who are more familiar with political trench warfare than most. From today's online edition, here's some food for thought:

But as Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown head into the rare mid-January race, just who will show up at the polls remains something of a mystery.

“Conventional wisdom is, the high turnout favors the Democrat. But in a special election, high turnout is volatile because you don’t know who’s showing up,” said Scott Ferson, a Democratic strategist in the state.

Making the vote even tougher to predict: the weather. Tuesday’s forecast calls for a mix of snow and rain, with temperatures in the low 30s.

Good lede. But here's the hook:

To make some sense of the early returns, POLITICO put together a guide of five things to watch as the results come in, after polls close at 8 p.m.

So what are you waiting for? Go read the rest.