A Trailing Kerry Has Been There, Won That [View All]

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kerryweld6sep06.story
THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE
A Trailing Kerry Has Been There, Won That
By Mark Z. Barabak
Times Staff Writer

September 6, 2004

BOSTON — John F. Kerry has been here before.

Turning into the final eight weeks of the presidential campaign, the Democratic nominee faces doubts within his party and pundits increasingly skeptical of his chances against a resurgent President Bush, who seems to have momentum heading his way.

It is reminiscent of the Democratic race last winter, when Kerry was counted among the living dead and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was romping to the Democratic nomination — or so it appeared.

But there is another contest that may be instructive, a campaign that political connoisseurs rate as one of the all-time classics: the 1996 U.S. Senate race between Kerry and Massachusetts' popular Republican governor, William F. Weld.

"A championship match between two world-class politicians," said John Martilla, a longtime Kerry friend and campaign advisor. Counterparts in the Weld camp agree.

Although no election is like any other, the close-quarters combat of that Senate race offers clues to how the Democratic nominee operates under pressure, the steps he will take to win — and suggests why Democrats, nervous as some may be, are counting on another Kerry comeback.<snip>