Chafee was appointed to the Senate in 1999 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of his father, John Chafee. He survived a challenge by then-Cranston Mayor Stephen Laffey in the 2006 GOP primary, but it weakened him for the general election, which he lost to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse.

Chafee was the only Republican senator to vote against the Iraq War and clashed with President George W. Bush on tax cuts and warrantless wiretaps. He quit the GOP after losing his Senate seat.

Although the political pendulum was swinging away from Republicans, it has started to come back.

"Bush and Cheney come in on a tie vote, and then have 9-11 and get big wins. And then total repudiation in 06 and 08," Chafee said, giving a mock sob about his own Senate loss, which he blames on widespread dissatisfaction with the Bush administration.

He sees the beginnings of a political realignment that started when Republicans won the governorships late last year in Virginia and New Jersey, and have now added a Senate seat in Massachusetts.

"That's independents voting very independently," he said.

Chafee said Massachusetts voters noticed that Coakley was taking for granted her wide lead early in the race, then made a series of stumbles, including criticizing Brown for shaking hands in the cold outside Fenway Park [map].

He called Brown a telegenic, media savvy candidate who picked up on voter discontent with Democratic proposals to reshape the nation's health care system.

"He's not just a nobody, and he had an issue, and caught the Democrats napping," Chafee said.

When asked if he had advice for Brown, Chafee said there is a time to campaign and a time to govern.

"I do think the partisanship might serve you well in an election, but it sure doesn't serve the country well. Here's a real issue: health care, in which our hospital emergency rooms are filled with people getting their primary care," Chafee said. "That's not good."

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