Students Apathetic About Upcoming Election

Trailing Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 by double digits in the latest polls, W. Mitt Romney launched a final offensive this weekend in an effort to unseat the six-term senior senator from Massachusetts.

Romney crisscrossed the most populous part of the state, heading by train to near the New Hampshire border Saturday, and starting a Sunday bus trip at the south end of Cape Cod.

Romney also purchased air time to broadcast a 30-minute television program on the New England Cable News network in another eleventh-hour effort to close the gap between himself and Kennedy.

The infomercial began with a biographical feature on Romney, then included a town meeting-style question-and-answer session on crime and welfare reform.

Kennedy, meanwhile, continued more traditional stumping, putting in appearances in the usual Democratic amen corners and promising each gathering "a bigger, better, busier Boston."

In one such event, Kennedy announced $330 million federal grant toward building a mass transit link between South Station, the federal courthouse and the World Trade Center in Boston--a fact he points to as an example of his influence in Washington.

Meanwhile, Gov. William F. Weld '66 put the finishing touches on a campaign that nearly all observers agree he will win in a landslide. The incumbent turned his attention from his opponent, Mark Roosevelt '78, to helping get his fellow Republicans elected to the legislature.

Weld repeated a familiar theme: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"We want everyone to focus on the gubernatorial election and what it would mean if [Lt. Gov. A. Paul] Cellucci and I were tossed out after what we've done for the last four years," Weld told reporters.

Roosevelt, meanwhile, spoke Saturday at a rally sponsored by the Col- lege Democrats of America at Boston's Essex Grill, where more than 125 college students gathered to hear the candidate discuss what it means to be a Democrat--the same topic he addressed at the Kennedy School of Government last month.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you there's not a tremendous difference between Republicans and Democrats," Roosevelt said.

Roosevelt, who seemed more relaxed than usual, removed his jacket for the speech and issued a series of Republican jibes largely unrelated to his campaign.

"Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican," said Roosevelt, the great-grandson of the former president. "Every family has a tragedy. That's mine."

"I grew up thinking Republicans were a tad peculiar," Roosevelt said, referring to a Boston Globe article about Mitt Romney's home life.

"The Romney family dog prays with them at night," Roosevelt said. "Maybe if I made $11 million a year, my dog would pray with me too."

Roosevelt, who estimates that Weld has outspent him 30 to 1 in this year's race, told The Crimson that the governor's ad campaign shows that "[Weld] has an ugly streak."

But Roosevelt declined to say whether he'll run for office again in 1998.

"It's really too early to speculate," Roosevelt said, but added that this year's campaign hasn't discouraged him from hitting the campaign trail again. "It's been a positive experience."

Some material from The Associated Press was used in this article.

"Don't ever let anyone tell you there's not a tremendous difference between Republicans and Democrats," Roosevelt said.

Roosevelt, who seemed more relaxed than usual, removed his jacket for the speech and issued a series of Republican jibes largely unrelated to his campaign.

"Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican," said Roosevelt, the great-grandson of the former president. "Every family has a tragedy. That's mine."

"I grew up thinking Republicans were a tad peculiar," Roosevelt said, referring to a Boston Globe article about Mitt Romney's home life.

"The Romney family dog prays with them at night," Roosevelt said. "Maybe if I made $11 million a year, my dog would pray with me too."

Roosevelt, who estimates that Weld has outspent him 30 to 1 in this year's race, told The Crimson that the governor's ad campaign shows that "[Weld] has an ugly streak."

But Roosevelt declined to say whether he'll run for office again in 1998.

"It's really too early to speculate," Roosevelt said, but added that this year's campaign hasn't discouraged him from hitting the campaign trail again. "It's been a positive experience."

Some material from The Associated Press was used in this article.