She expected an opponent and so did everyone else.

“I was shocked that the Republicans could not come up with a credible challenger . . . If anyone qualifies as the walking wounded, it’s Martha Coakley,’’ said David Kravitz, founder and editor of Bluemassgroup.com, a liberal-leaning political website that did not endorse her in the primary, but did back her in the general election.

Republican consultant Ben Kilgore calls the AG’s race “a lost opportunity for Republicans.’’ About Coakley, he said, “She was on the mat, she was unconscious. We went over and brought her back to life and then we helped her stand up on her feet again. That’s inexcusable.’’

Republican state chairwoman Jennifer Nassour said that five or so prospective candidates she approached all gave her the same reason for staying out of the race: “They are in private firms and doing well.’’

On the surface, it may look and feel like the good old days, when Coakley faced nominal or no opposition in most contest. But nothing is the same.

She was lampooned on “Saturday Night Live’’ and ripped apart in post-mortems that used words like complacency, entitlement, and incompetence to describe her failed strategy. Hell hath no fury like a political party scorned by the electorate. Massachusetts Democrats are still bitter over the GOP win and they still blame Coakley for running a poor campaign.

“People have gone from loathing to pity,’’ said one Democratic consultant. Another strategist suggests that fellow Democrats wanted Coakley to have a Republican opponent because they “wanted her punished for what happened.’’

Coakley tries to keep it in perspective. “Certainly there’s a big division in the world before January 19th and after,’’ she said. But, “I’ve been focused on moving forward. It’s not the first election I’ve lost. I’ve had cases I lost in court . . . Losing friends and family is much tougher than losing a race.’’

Her coping mechanism has a familiar ring.

She accepted defeat with the type of stoicism last associated with Governor Michael Dukakis after two bruising losses — once as governor, and once as the Democratic presidential nominee. Coakley quickly went back to work as attorney general. She also quickly put out word she would run for reelection, to the dismay of Democrats who were lining up to run for what they thought would be an open seat. She attended Democratic caucuses, collected signatures needed to get on the ballot, and set out to change the unflattering perceptions that jelled against her just in time for election day.

Self-deprecating humor is part of her reinvention strategy. At the annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast, Coakley chose “She’s Cold as Ice’’ for her background music and put on a barn jacket for what has now become the standard tribute to Brown. Instead of bemoaning the need to press the flesh outside Fenway Park, as she did in an infamous preelection interview, she now shakes every hand she can.

Coakley deserves credit for toughness and perseverance in the face of major political disappointment. But what about the political future of a woman who once made everyone’s short list for higher office?

“I really don’t know what it would be. I can’t imagine she would run for Senate again,’’ said Kravitz, the Bluemassgroup blogger. “After a shocking, devastating loss like that, it’s hard to go back to that well again.’’

“I think that’s it for her,’’ said the GOP’s Nassour. “I think the campaign she ran was such a poorly run campaign that it’s really hard to recover.’’

So much for conventional wisdom, which also viewed Coakley as the sure winner in the special Senate election.

For now, she is on her way to another term as AG. If there’s one lesson from her recent loss, it’s that from here, it’s up to the people.