Sen. Brown _ ex-centerfold and ‘Idol’ dad _ wins GOP primary; AG Coakley leads Democrats

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Sen. Brown wins GOP primary for Kennedy seat

BOSTON — State Sen. Scott Brown won the Republican nomination Tuesday in the race to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, while Democratic front-runner Attorney General Martha Coakley held significant lead in early returns.

Brown defeated businessman and attorney Jack E. Robinson in primary elections marked by low turnout.

The 50-year-old Brown is a veteran legislator and lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard who’s also gained local notoriety as a former Cosmopolitan centerfold model and the father of an “American Idol” contestant.

With 848 of 2,168 precincts reporting, Brown had 88 percent of the vote.

Brown, who has carved out a decidedly conservative record, faces an uphill challenge in a state where the majority of voters are independents but frequently vote Democratic.

With 486 of 2,168 precincts reporting, Coakley had 48 percent of the vote, ahead of Rep. Michael Capuano with 27 percent, City Year co-founder Alan Khazei with 14 percent and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca — who spent millions of his own money on the campaign — with 12 percent.

Brown will face the winner of the Democratic primary in a general election Jan. 19 to fill the seat Kennedy held for 47 year. He died Aug. 25 of brain cancer.

Kennedy’s widow, Vicki, called each of the Democrats early Tuesday to wish them well, an aide said. His family has been careful not to endorse any one candidate.

Turnout in Boston was just under 10 percent, despite clear — if chilly — weather. Secretary of State William Galvin said he was receiving similar reports from other cities such as Lowell, Pittsfield, Springfield and Holyoke.

Coakley, who led in preprimary public opinion polls, started her day by voting at a school near her Medford home before retreating to write her postelection speech.

Capuano voted at the Somerville Department of Public Works garage. Khazei voted in Brookline, and Pagliuca voted at a Weston school.

Voters were doing something they had not done in Massachusetts since 1984: vote in a U.S. Senate race with no incumbent.

Not since Paul Tsongas decided to step down after a cancer diagnosis have they had the chance to fill a Senate seat with a newcomer. John Kerry, who went on to be the Democratic Party’s 2004 presidential nominee, won that race and every re-election since.

Kennedy’s seat has been held on an interim basis by Paul G. Kirk Jr., a Kennedy friend and the former Democratic National Committee chairman. He will step down when his replacement is sworn in.

Coakley, 56, targeted women and abortion rights supporters. Her last-minute pitch included prerecorded robocalls from former President Bill Clinton, who said, “You can trust her to get results in the Senate just as she has as your attorney general.”

While Coakley opposes sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, Brown supports President Barack Obama’s buildup.

Capuano, 57, is a six-term congressman who targeted the relatively small crowd of party loyalists by highlighting his votes against the USA Patriot Act and the war in Iraq.

Khazei, 48, is a political newcomer who started the youth activism program City Year and other civic engagement programs.

Pagliuca, 54, also is a first-time political candidate. He made a fortune estimated at $400 million by working at the private equity and venture capital firms that enriched 2008 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The 49-year-old Robinson has become a perennial candidate after unsuccessful Senate, House and secretary of state campaigns.