Shannon O'Brien has a better sense than most of what Charlie Baker and Martha Coakley are experiencing right now as the race for Massachusetts Governor heads into its final weeks.

Back in 2002, O'Brien was the Democratic nominee and was leading Mitt Romney--until a late surge gave him the governorship. O'Brien dishes to the Scrum's Adam Reilly and David Bernstein about just how taxing running for governor is; what Baker has that Romney lacked; and what Coakley has to do (and shouldn't do) to become the first female governor of Massachusetts. Time codes below. 

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"After the primary, everybody wants to tell you what to do. And that is really difficult..." (4:13)

"Abortion is a very difficult issue.... You can't talk about it like a clinician." (5:58)

"You've seen [@CharlieForGov] getting handcuffed by some of the positions he kinda has to take." (9:47)

"I ultimately don't think @MittRomney has the same empathy Charlie does (...) I don't think @MittRomney thought I brought any value at all whatsoever to humanity." (10:26)

On Baker's "Sweetheart" stumble: "There's a qualitative difference in a word that stumbles out of your mouth, and how you ultimately view women and how you treat them." (13:15)

O'Brien on Romney 2016: "When he looks at the field out there, why wouldn't you [run]?" (17:50) 

"You want those grassroots people to love @marthacoakley to death, and to want to fight like crazy."

"You've never gonna be @DevalPatrick...You have just to be the best you." 

@marthacoakley's discussion of her brother's suicide is a start--but not enough (21:55)

"I talked to people who said, 'My mother's not voting for you *because* you're a woman." (23:28)

"I would still be fighting @CharlieForGov on earned sick time."  (24:32)