New Runners Join Senate Field

Contenders for the State Senate seat of Congressional candidate George Bachrach (D-Watertown) all have different angles on their chances in the race.

No acknowledged front-runner has emerged in the group of candidates seeking to represent the Middlesex-Suffolk district, which comprises northern Cambridge, Allston-Brighton, Watertown, and Belmont, including parts of Harvard's Business School.

State Sen. Michael LoPresti Jr. '70 (D-Boston) represents most of Cambridge, including the majority of Harvard's undergraduates. The 13-year incumbent is apparently unchallenged for re-election to his seat. The official filing deadline for both races is April 29.

The field recently grew by two, as Mark White, son of former Boston Mayor Kevin H. White, and Christine Sullivan of Belmont announced their candidacies. Sullivan is a former aide to Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O`Neill Jr.

White, 28, who recently served as Assistant District Attorney, officially entered the race on March 20, when he pledged to make affordable housing more available in the district. He also advocated stricter drunk driving laws and Senate rules reform.

In an interview yesterday, White claimed his father's career would have little influence on his own popularity. He said the district's small size would permit voters to see the candidates at close range, making their positions and personal appeal more important than their names or media images.

White's father did not seek reelection as Mayor in 1983 following a Federal investigation into his campaign finances. He said, "if there is any negative feelings that come down from being my father's son, I think it'll dissipate."

Cambridge attorney Michael Sullivan, son of Cambridge's Mayor Walter Sullivan, has said he will probably join the race as well.

Several reports give former Reading State Representative Michael J. Barrett '70 and former Cambridge School Committee member David Holway slightly higher popularity. Olivia A. Golden '76, who left her position as State Budget Director for Human Services to campaign, is also viewed as a strong contender.

Considered the most liberal in the race, Barrett and Golden recently split votes of support from the district's Democratic Socialists of America. Barrett's support includes endorsements from Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and the Council of Older Americans.

Golden said she expected to make little change in her own campaign which she said claimed an "extensive field network," and said she was "campaigning for the office" rather than against a specific candidate. She added that her candidacy as a liberal woman had persuaded many citizens to become politically active for the first time. She said she also shares many supporters and campaign workers with Bachrach, including his 1982 campaign coordinator, Marianne Hart.

Golden said she would seek ways to share the state's present economic boom "across the community, including people who are traditionally left behind."

Holway and Sullivan have voiced emphases closer to the political center. Holway has called for "more compassionate government"--and more stringent criminal sentencing. Sullivan's recent campaign announcement called on business and industry to augment social programs. She has also emphasized the housing and MBTA reform as issues to be addressed. Holway called Sullivan "a formidable opponent," rating White's candidacy as less of a challenge to his campaign.

Holway said an in-house poll taken in January showed him leading the pack of candidates.