Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) had an inkling that the Democrats would lose the seat formerly held by his father, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Before the polls closed, he told CQ-Roll Call that Democrats “got the message wrong, not the product” on health care reform.

“It’s not something necessarily that should have happened, but … it’s always up to the voters,” said Kennedy. “It’s a Massachusetts seat. It’s not my dad’s seat. It’s not my family’s seat.”

As for the criticism that Democrat Martha Coakley ran a lackluster campaign, Kennedy said that in the 46 years that his father held the Senate seat, he campaigned “every six years like it was a brand new election. The fact is, you’ve got to be on your ‘A’ game as a candidate these days.”