Mass.: Kerry Keeps Seat After Defeating GOP Weld

BOSTON (AllPolitics, Nov. 5) -- Democratic incumbent Sen. John Kerry eked out a victory after months of heated wrangling against two-term Republican Gov. William F. Weld in Massachusetts.

No Senate race has received as much national attention as the Bay State battle of the political titans. The showdown between the popular, polished politicians was one of the closest Senate races.

Republicans hoped that Weld, who in 1994 won a second gubernatorial term with 71 percent of the vote, could deliver a Senate seat to the GOP in one of the most Democratic-leaning states -- thereby making it all but impossible for Democrats to regain control of the Senate.

Kerry came in with a personal track record of electoral success and the advantage of President Clinton's huge lead in Massachusetts polls. Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole did not made much of an effort in the state.

Heading into the election, most polls showed the Senate race a dead heat. The presence on the ballot of Conservative Party candidate Susan Gallagher, a real estate broker who was running to the right of the socially moderate Weld, was seen as only a slight factor, although her opposition to abortion probably took 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 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, accused Kerry of supporting tax increases during his Senate service. Kerry retorted that most of Weld's tax cuts help corporations and the rich, while doing little for the average Massachusetts resident.

Kerry, meanwhile, tried to link Weld to the Republican majority in Congress and in particular to Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). Weld pointed to his maverick streak, including his support for abortion rights, a stand for which he is perhaps best-known outside Massachusetts.

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 National 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 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 election skirmishes centered around money. But in August, the two men agreed to limit their personal contributions to $500,000 apiece, with an overall spending cap of $6.9 million.

In late October, 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.

Mass.: Kerry Keeps Seat After Defeating GOP Weld

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