Cook Political Report: Delahunt's seat is a toss up

WASHINGTON -- The political punditry is already focusing on the Massachusetts Tenth Congressional District with Representative William Delahunt’s announcement today that he is retiring.

The verdict, at least from the Cook Political Report, one leading evaluator of congressional races around the country: Delahunt’s departure makes the seat a toss up.

The Cook rating points out that the coastal district, stretching from Cape Cod up to the South Shore, is the least Democratic in the state. President Obama won 55 percent of the district’s vote in 2008, but Republican Senator Scott Brown won 60 percent of the vote in his special election upset on Jan. 19.

“Delahunt’s decision to leave doesn’t make this district a lost cause for Democrats by any means, but credible Republicans including former state Treasurer Joe Malone and state Rep. Jeffrey Perry are likely to run, and no Democrat appears capable of clearing a primary field. In a normal year, Democrats would enjoy a considerable advantage in an open seat race in MA-10. But this year, Democrats’ initial advantage isn’t great enough to warrant rating this race more favorably than a Toss Up.”