The Republican Jewish Coalition hailed the party’s victory in the special election in Massachusetts to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward Kennedy.

State Sen. Scott Brown won 52 percent of the vote in defeating state Attorney General Martha Coakley in Tuesday’s election.

Brown has said he will oppose a bill to overhaul the health care system that Kennedy had championed.

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A release from the RJC issued late Tuesday said, in part, that the victory by Brown “sends the clear message that the electorate has serious concerns about the Obama administration’s health care proposals, its out of control spending, and the rising debt and deficits which are the fruits of its misguided agenda.”

“On the heels of the Republican gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia, this special election is another indication of the voters’ dissatisfaction with the policies of the Obama-Reid-Pelosi Democrats, and their desire for a change in direction. Brown’s win also marks a positive indicator for Republicans running in House and Senate races in November 2010.”

Ira Forman, chief executive officer of the National Jewish Democratic Council, in a statement called Coakley’s defeat “unfortunate,” but went on to say that “the push to fix our nation’s broken health care system must continue, and we must complete this critical task as quickly as possible.”

“Regardless of the outcome of any one race, health insurance reform remains a moral and fiscal imperative of our time,” the statement said. “Clear majorities agree – in Congress, among doctors, and among the American people. And within the organized Jewish community, there is a virtual consensus surrounding the need for urgent change.”

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