GOP candidates line up to face Kerry

[NJSecularist]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/06/candidates_line_up_to_face_kerry/

Republican Jeff Beatty spent his Friday night talking politics over cocktails in Fall River. Democrat Ed O'Reilly has been laying the groundwork for his campaign for more than a year.
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And this week, Republican Jim Ogonowski plans to make 36 campaign stops from North Adams to Chatham in an effort to lift his campaign and his adrenaline: 30 of the stops are for coffee.

Six months before the primary, the candidates are all hoping to gain momentum for a Herculean task: unseating John F. Kerry from his US Senate seat.

"There is an extra challenge to going against an incumbent, but not when they haven't delivered," Ogonowski said yesterday in a phone interview. "You don't see him in Massachusetts. He's more interested in being a national figure than a representative of the people of Massachusetts."

Kerry, in his fourth six-year term, has not faced a serious challenge since Governor William F. Weld, a Republican, in 1996, and even fellow Democrats joke about Kerry's absence from Massachusetts. At the Saint Patrick's Day Breakfast last month, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral compared him to Halley's Comet, appearing quickly every six years.

But lately his public appearances have seen a noticeable uptick. Over the past week, the junior senator was in Roxbury and Lawrence to talk about home foreclosures, and stopped by the opening ceremony for a Coast Guard command center. Tomorrow he is scheduled to be at a State House hearing on federal immigration raids in New England.

"The senator's served the state very well over the last four terms," said Roger Lau, who was brought on as campaign manager several weeks ago and said to expect "grass-roots, Iowa-style politics - talking to one voter at a time."

"From healthcare to the economy the Massachusetts delegation is at the forefront," he said, "and John Kerry is proud to be a part of that."

Still, few observers are predicting a close fight for the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee. Unseating an incumbent is rare, and Kerry's $9.9 million war chest dwarfs his opponents'.

What attention there has been has focused on a possible Kerry and Ogonowski matchup. But both candidates have challengers to overcome in the September primary before they could meet in November's general election.

Why do these bums even try? They don't even stand a chance. All of these guys are lightweights....

Kerry wins by 15-20.

[seabeyond]

1. better, cause kerry has done good job by democrats. as much or more than most all. n/t

[AX10]

2. He's a lightweight, but he is also an incumbent Democrat in Massachusetts.

His floor will be 60%.

[MeDeMax]

3. he'll crush them and serve for christmas barbacue -- n/t

[Firespirit]

4. From some of the slimy crap in DU about Kerry

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the worst offenders would vote for one of these repukes just because they hate Kerry so much.

[NJSecularist]

5. They are bitter about 2004 but I bet they would vote for Kerry in November if they had a chance. n/t