Top Senate Republican says Senate race in Massachusetts is a referendum on health care plan

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McConnell: Mass. Senate race a health referendum

WASHINGTON — The Senate’s Republican leader is casting the shockingly close Senate race in Massachusetts as a referendum on President Barack Obama’s health care bill.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says that no matter who wins Tuesday’s special election, the message is clear because the race is so close in the liberal state. The message, he says, is that voters don’t support the Democrats’ health overhaul.

The legislation has dominated the race between Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Scott Brown. She supports the bill. He doesn’t.

McConnell also says that whoever wins Tuesday’s election should be sworn in promptly. If Brown wins, any delay in seating him could let Obama preserve a key 60th vote for the bill.

McConnell appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”