Lynch Leads in Race for Congress

Stephen F. Lynch is on cruise control.

The state senator seemingly had the Democratic primary for the Ninth Congressional District race well in hand yesterday, as six opponents raced to close the gap before voting booths opened this morning.

The contest to fill the seat left by the late congressman J. Joseph Moakley Jr.—a 30-year veteran of Boston’s political scene—drew national attention early on with the dramatic dropout of early frontrunner Max Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy ’48. Kennedy’s departure left the field wide open, and Lynch quickly pulled up to dominate the primary despite criticism of his relatively conservative politics and on his financial fumbles in personal college loans and real estate deals.

Lynch is the only contender from Moakley’s home—the urban heart of the district, South Boston.

The primary is widely viewed as the true election, since projected Democratic votes outnumber Republicans in the Ninth District approximately 8.5 to 1, according to Secretary of State William F. Galvin.

With new commercials touting his liver donation to a relative, plus the 11th-hour endorsement of Moakley’s two brothers,Lynch has sewn up the image of “iron man with a heart.” His campaign is clearly not worried about tomorrow.

“We are getting out the vote. We have 3,400 volunteers mobilized,” said Jamie Bearse, Lynch’s spokesperson. “I would say it’s been constant for quite awhile....Everybody is so excited.”

Bearse’s confidence is not unfounded—in the latest Boston Herald poll, Lynch held a strong 39 percent, with his closest competitors, fellow State Senators Cheryl Jacques, Brian A. Joyce and Marc R. Pacheco foundering at 18 percent, 12 percent and 10 percent respectively.

With catch-up time dwindling, Lynch’s competitors are holding on until the bitter end.

Needham native Jacques—who bills herself as the solidly pro-choice, liberal alternative—has taken an aggressive tone in her bid, drawing criticism for negative campaigning. Still, her campaign is maintaing that tone, and the faith that it will work for Jacques.

“Senator Jacques has been meeting with voters and talking about the key difference between herself and the other candidate. She’s pro-choice,” said Angus McQuilken, Jacques’s spokesperson.

Other campaigns have targeted Lynch’s character, but “We’re running a campaign based on issues,” said McQuilken. “Steve Lynch has a 100 percent anti-choice voting record... and a B-rating from the [National Rifle Association].”

Faced with the statistics that the majority of the district’s pro-choice voters have favored Lynch in polls, McQuilken said that those voters don’t know of Lynch’s pro-life stand. But McQuilken maintained a stoic optimism, saying that tomorrow Jacques will be holding “a really rocking victory party.”

Joyce, from the suburb of Milton, trails Jacques, and has shifted tactics of late, stepping away from the personality politics that marked his early campaign.

“We are basically making thousands of phone calls,” said Joyce’s spokesperson, Doug Ruben, adding that the focus is on voter turnout.

“We’re doing a big lit. drop tonight in Joyce’s home base—Milton-Randolph-Stoughton,” Ruben said.

Pacheco, from the small suburb of Taunton, is edging up from a consistent fourth closer to third after receiving endorsements from several important unions, including the Boston Teachers’ Union. He was also scrambling for voter turnout last night.

“We have thousands of people on the phone. We have foot pollers. It’s classic Chicago-Boston politics happening right now in the suburbs!” said Toby Chaudhuri, Pacheco’s campaign manager.

True to the spirit of Chaudhuri’s comment, the race seems to be shaping up in traditional fashion: in Boston, the winner is often the candidate with the right address—which is not in the suburbs.

—Staff writer Lauren R. Dorgan can be reached at dorgan@fas.harvard.edu.