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Don’t call gubernatorial race just yet

QUINCY — Cue the firing squad.

The latest Globe poll shows Martha Coakley down by 9 in the race for governor. With Democrats keening, Coakley advisers convened conference calls Friday night to reassure the troops and whack the Globe. If history is any guide, that will do little to stop the candidate-blaming from party regulars, who will never forgive Coakley for her loss to Scott Brown in the US Senate race in 2010.

But hold your fire, people. If you could have been at a senior housing center in Quincy on Thursday afternoon, you would see that this Coakley is not that Coakley.

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The campaign stop was a triumph, the crowd laughing at Coakley's quips about her late-in-life marriage, growing quiet when she told of her brother's suicide, nodding when she spoke about protecting the elderly. As she made her way around the room, people hugged her, told her she looked much better in person, urged her to victory.

Near the end of the visit, Coakley was joking with a group of residents as reporters and others gathered around. Jean Gunning, a soft-spoken, short-haired 73-year-old with dementia, picked her way through the crowd, sidled up to Coakley, and put her head on her shoulder. Without skipping a beat, Coakley put an arm around Gunning and rested her head on the woman's. It was as if Gunning was the only person in the room, and the candidate had all the time in the world.

"Hi," Coakley said gently, stroking her back. "How is your day going so far?"

It was a moving moment, a genuine connection. And it speaks to just how far Coakley has come. She's not just better at retail politics, but downright gifted at it.

She is a much sharper candidate, too: She performed strongly in Tuesday night's debate, going hard at her opponent, Charlie Baker, hammering home the notion that she cares more about those who struggle. She is still more workhorse than show horse: She will never be someone to whom barn-burning speeches come easily. And she can slip into a prosecutorial style when what is called for is heart and passion. It has been said a zillion times this campaign that she is no Deval Patrick. But sometimes, as on Thursday, she gets awfully close. Two voters who said they had been undecided before were won over.

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"She is so nice," said Betty Michaud. "She impressed me with her forthrightness."

That is all the more remarkable given the beating Coakley took after her loss to Brown. She was blamed for taking that race for granted, for not throwing herself into the kind of retail campaign Brown excelled at. Her campaign for reelection as attorney general was one long apology tour, an effort to win back voters' hearts. Some returned only grudgingly; some couldn't forgive her. Coakley took it all with grace, and campaigned relentlessly. She has worked even harder this time.

There are lots of reasons she may yet lose this race. Baker, running, in effect,as a Clinton Democrat, has given plenty of moderates reason to like him. Voters could be swayed by his argument for balance on Beacon Hill, or convinced he is the better manager. They might trust him more on taxes, or welfare. They might disagree with Coakley on education or DCF. The ads running on his behalf — far outpacing those on hers — might work.

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But if Coakley does lose, it will not be because she took this race for granted, or didn't work hard enough. We – I, too — have spent a lot of time belly-aching this year, complaining that the candidates are boring, obsessing over their failures in 2010. But for all the carping, we have two fully formed, committed adults, running a respectful race, and making real connections with actual people in every corner of the state they'd like to lead.


Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at abraham@globe.com