The leading candidates for governor Democrat Martha Coakley and Republican Charlie Baker spent the final hours of the campaign on Monday trying to rally their supporters and drum up enthusiasm before the polls open to decide a tight contest to succeed Gov. Deval Patrick.

After taking time off the trail in the early afternoon to attend the funeral of former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Coakley and Baker were back on the stump pitching voters and activists and asking for help to make sure their supporters vote on Tuesday.

Coakley, hoarse from the hectic schedule of being a candidate for governor, joined the leaders of the Democratic Party at her campaign headquarters in Somerville imploring everyone not to rest until the polls close.

"I know we can win this. I feel it. I sense it and I know you're going to help me do it. So if you will give me every minute you can between now and when the polls close. If you have my back and our terrific team's back I will have your back for four years and we will make Massachusetts prosperous and fair, so let's go get 'em," Coakley said.

Joined by her running mate Stephen Kerrigan, Gov. Deval Patrick, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Congressman Michael Capuano and others, Coakley described the state of the race as "close," but presented the choice between her and Baker as "stark."

"We knew they would come in with outside money. We knew they'd be smiling more than in 2010. But we're not fooled...," Coakley said. "We want to make sure we give every kid an opportunity to find his dream and follow it."

In front of a high school track sign that said one lap to go, Baker made his closing pitch to voters and rallied supporters gathered in his hometown of Swampscott at the high school gymnasium. Baker argued his experience makes him better suited to lead the state than Coakley, his chief rival.

"While I like and admire the attorney general, she spent her career as a career prosecutor," said Baker, a former Weld and Cellucci cabinet official and private sector health care executive. "We have a far richer and more varied and better set of life and professional experiences to make this happen for the people of Massachusetts."

After his speech, Baker told reporters, "We're not going to raise taxes; Martha Coakley clearly is," and said he would bring reforms to state government, saying the Registry of Motor Vehicles is "going to be a very different place."

After the Democratic rally, Coakley spent the evening pouring pints at the Eire Pub in Dorchester's Adam's Village. A crowd of campaign supporters and staff, including several Boston lawmakers and prominent labor leaders, filled the legendary Irish pub in a last celebration to boost the candidate.

Coakley and running mate Steve Kerrigan went behind the bar to pour drinks for some supporters, including Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry. Coakley filled Forry's glass from behind the bar while Kerrigan worked on a draft of Guinness for Jackson.

"Did she get you a drafty?" former AFL-CIO president Robert Haynes asked Forry once Coakley handed over the glass of Bud Lite. "Yeah, she got me a drafty," Forry replied.

Coakley mingled with supporters and patrons while nursing her own Sam Adams draft, at one point sharing a toast with Reps. Daniel Cullinane and Daniel Hunt, both of Dorchester, in honor of the Menino.

In Somerville, Warren blasted the Republican Governors Association, which has spent $12.4 million in the Bay State race for governor, much of it on television ads attacking Coakley record. Last week, alone the RGA reported $3.75 million in spending on the race, more than Coakley's campaign has spent the entire year.

Identifying the Koch brothers, Wall Street and "big oil" as the funders of the RGA, Warren said, "They are pumping money into the Republican Governors Association and the Republican Governors Association is pumping money into the governor's race here in Massachusetts because they believe that they can buy an election for Charlie Baker. Well, I got news for them. Massachusetts is not for sale."

Richard Tisei, who is running for Congress against Democrat Seth Moulton was one of the Baker supporters who introduced the candidate. Tisei, the former Senate minority leader, ran for lieutenant governor as Baker's running mate in 2010 against Patrick and Tim Murray. Tisei also asked the crowd if the congressional delegation needed balance, and responded to the cheers of approval saying, "Well that would be me."

"Government can work, but you need the right people in place, and we're extremely fortunate to have Charlie Baker. We think he's going to be a tremendous governor," Tisei said.

Speaking before supporters seated on bleachers, Baker reiterated his campaign theme that, "We can do better," and asked how the state could have grown "so few net new jobs over the last 14 years" - a period that comprises the administrations of Republican Gov. Mitt Romney and Acting Gov. Jane Swift as well as Patrick, a Democrat.

"We've grown our job base by one and a half percent in 14 years. Same time the U.S. economy has grown its job base by more than twice that," Baker said. "How can that be?"

"Tax and spend," said a man in the crowd.

"That's one thought," Baker said, continuing, "We need to play to win. In a Baker administration, we play to win."

Gov. Patrick, who like other speakers made jokes about Baker possibly misstating some of the facts in a story about a fisherman that brought him to tears in the final debate, dropped the gloves as he made a case for Coakley to succeed him.

"I have said many times, you don't have to hate Republicans to be a good Democrat. But I feel like kicking a little Republican ass right now," Patrick said.

Asked what he thought of the tone of the campaign recently, Baker said, "The tone of any campaign always gets a little crazy in the end."

Baker said he was on the school building committee that planned the construction of the school where the rally was held. As the gym dwindled from a couple hundred to just a couple dozen people, Baker and his son Charlie Baker Jr. shot hoops on the high school court.