BOSTON (AllPolitics, Oct. 31) -- No Senate race has received as much national attention as
the Bay State battle of two political titans, two-term
Democratic incumbent John Kerry and his Republican challenger,
Gov. William F. Weld. The showdown between these popular
polished politicians is one of the closest Senate races in the
country.
Republicans hope Weld, who in 1994 won a second gubernatorial term with 71 percent of the vote, can deliver a Senate seat to the GOP in one of the most Democratic-leaning states, making it all but impossible for Democrats to regain control of the Senate.
Yet Kerry comes in with a personal track record of electoral success and the advantage of President Bill Clinton's huge lead in Massachusetts polls. Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole has not made much of an effort in the state.
Most polls show the Senate race a dead heat. The presence on the ballot of Conservative Party candidate Susan Gallagher, a real estate broker who is running to the right of the socially moderate Weld, could be a factor, although her opposition to abortion could take some votes from both major party nominees.
First elected to the Senate in 1984, Kerry won a comparatively easy re-election victory in 1990, taking 57 percent of the vote. Weld first won the governorship in 1990, succeeding Democrat Michael S. Dukakis.
Early in the year, Kerry and Weld began attacking each other
in television ads. In a series of televised debates, they have
clashed on issues such as the death penalty (which Kerry opposes
and Weld supports) and taxes. Weld, touting his own record of
cutting taxes in Massachusetts, has been accusing Kerry of
supporting tax increases during his Senate service. Kerry has
retorted that most of Weld's tax cuts help corporations and the
rich while doing little for the average Massachusetts resident.
Kerry, meanwhile, has been trying to link Weld to the Republican majority in Congress and in particular to Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). But Weld can point to his maverick streak, including his support for abortion rights.
Weld declined a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in August after organizers said he could not emphasize his abortion rights position in his remarks, as he had done at the 1992 convention. His action earned him a temporary bounce in the polls back home.
Kerry spoke at the Democratic convention in Chicago, but failed to elicit comparable publicity. Kerry first entered public life in the 1970s by vocally turning against the Vietnam War after earning medals for his combat service. In the Senate he has been involved with international issues as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he has remained somewhat in the shadow of Massachusetts' senior senator, Democrat Edward M. Kennedy.
Both Weld and Kerry are wealthy, and early skirmishes in this race centered around money. But in August the two sides agreed to limit their personal contributions to $500,000 apiece, and an overall spending cap of $6.9 million.
In late October, however, both sides engaged in fiery finger-pointing, accusing the other of violating the pact. Kerry, alleging Weld had overspent on TV advertising, took out a $400,000 loan using his own assets as collateral. Weld disputed the charge he'd overspent on media, and accused Kerry of creating a ruse to get around the spending limits.
Congressional Quarterly contributed to this report.