Kerry Wins Mass Primary

Senator John F. Kerry, the veteran senator who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, easily won the Massachusetts Democratic primary on Tuesday, though a strong showing by a virtually unknown challenger evidenced the voter frustration that many political analysts have said is a potent political force this election cycle.

With half of the precincts reporting, Kerry was leading Edward O’Reilly, a lawyer and former firefighter, by a two-to-one margin. While Kerry carried virtually every city and town in the Commonwealth, O’Reilly ran strong in places such as his hometown of Gloucester, where Kerry won by only a few points.

“There are unfinished fights that we must win, and I want to return to Washington to make sure every American has the same great health care that I receive as a senator,” Kerry said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “I have always been honored to be the Junior Senator from Massachusetts.”

Kerry is heavily favored to win a fifth term over Republican Jeff Beatty in November.

During the campaign, O’Reilly styled himself as a more principled and liberal alternative to Kerry, lambasting the senator for his 2002 vote in favor of military action in Iraq. He also argued that Kerry—who is well-known nationally while never having the local following of Massachusetts’ senior senator, Edward M. Kennedy ’54-’56—should devote more time to representing the interests of his constituents.

The race represented Kerry’s first contested Democratic primary since he first won a three-way primary in 1984, a race that pitted Kerry, the lieutenant governor, against two congressmen, James M. Shannon and Edward J. Markey.

Kerry’s recent victory by more than thirty points is likely to be one of the closer races in the Commonwealth this election cycle.

Republican John McCain has already conceded liberal Massachusetts to the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, and the state’s politicians—notably Kerry, Kennedy, and Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78—have emerged as important surrogates for the Obama campaign.

Cambridge’s other representatives—Representative Michael E. Capuano, State Senator Anthony D. Galluccio, and State Representative Alice K. Wolf—ran unopposed Tuesday. All three are expected to cruise to reelection in November.