"A bad brand got developed," said Stephen P. Crosby, a former Swift aide. "It was a terrible time. There was a recession and 9/11 when she was governor. She was dealt a very, very tough deck of cards and she made some mistakes. But the full and real Jane Swift is a really bright, interesting, positive and constructive human being."

Swift stopped to answer tough questions from the media in Lawrence on Aug. 16, 2001.