Massachusetts Voters to Pick Democratic Delegates Today

Massachusetts Democrats will get this year's Senate campaign rolling today at more than 600 ward and town caucuses across the state by electing about 3000 delegates to the June state Democratic convention.

Party officials expect a turnout of about 35,000 voters to choose the delegates who will pick the contestants in the September Democratic primary.

Sen. Paul E. Tsongas' announcement last month that he would not seek re-election has caused a scramble among prominent Massachusetts Democrats hoping to succeed him. Today's caucuses are the first political test for those who want to assume his Senate seat. To get a spot on the primary ballot, a candidate must be supported by 15 percent of the convention delegates.

"We'll be working statewide to try to elect delegates sympathetic to our candidate," said Gillian F. Gansler, campaign press secretary for Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Malden).

Gansler and campaign officials for the other candidates said the caucuses will also be the first test of campaign organizations.

"We'll be there with signs and literature," said Ron Rosenblith, campaign director for Lt. Gov. John F. Kerry, "but our main focus has been to find the people who have been delegates before and supported Kerry and convince them to run again."

Only about half of the delegates are expected to reveal an allegiance to a particular candidate, however. Many will sport a stand on a particular issue--the nuclear freeze or abortion, for instance--instead.

Such delegates will help determine the issues discussed in the campaign as candidates try to win their support in the months before the convention.

Other delegates are expected to express their support for the popular Gov. Michael S. Dukakis. The eventual importance of those delegates will remain unclear until Dukakis decides whether to endorse a candidate before the convention.

However, Dukakis has indicated that he is unlikely to make an endorsement this Spring. In that case "Dukakis delegates," as they are called by political observers, would throw a large element of uncertainty into the race because their allegiance would be unclear.

The delegates elected today will be joined by another 1000 delegates who are Democratic officials and officeholders.

The announced Democratic candidates for Tsongas's seat are former Massachusetts House Speaker David M. Bartley, former executive director of the Massachusetts Teacher' Association William H. Hebert, Kerry, Markey, and Rep. James M. Shannon (D-Lawrence).

Caucus results will not be known until sometime next week