Kerry challenger hits trail looking for upset
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BOSTON—The tough road to the U.S. Senate for Republican Jeff Beatty began Wednesday at a downtown press conference attended by a single TV camerawoman and as many campaign staffers as reporters.
Beatty knows he's the heavy underdog in the general election against Sen. John Kerry, the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee.
But Beatty appeared confident as he spoke in front of a building that holds
The 54-year-old former Delta Force officer took shots at Kerry as an "elitist," with a thin record of achievement for Massachusetts -- similar criticisms to those leveled by Kerry's unsuccessful Democratic challenger in Tuesday's primary, Gloucester attorney Ed O'Reilly.
The 30 percent that the relatively unknown O'Reilly received was seen by some as an expression of frustration with Kerry. But O'Reilly is a Democrat, and this is Massachusetts, where the odds of seeing a panda walk through the Statehouse are just slightly higher than spotting a Republican.
Beatty, though, said he saw an opening in Tuesday's results.
"When a third of the Democrats in his own primary thumb their nose at their sitting senator, he's got troubles in River City," he said. "You can bet that the anti-Kerry sentiment is running a lot higher than one-third in the unenrolled and in the Republican ranks."
Kerry spokeswoman Brigid O'Rourke noted that Kerry beat O'Reilly by an overwhelming margin, which she said showed voters back Kerry and his "proven track record," such as helping secure $100 million for heating costs for low income families.
She also alluded to Beatty's loss in the 2006 Congressional race against Democrat William Delahunt.
"Mr. Beatty's whopping 28 percent of the vote in his 2006 Congressional election makes him sort of an expert on voter dissatisfaction," she said.
The last tough fight Kerry had in the general election was 1996 against former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, but Beatty is working to change that by increasing his visibility.
He released a TV ad Wednesday, and said he plans to air as many ads as money will allow. But he's at a major funding disadvantage to Kerry, with about $48,000 cash in hand after raising about $1.5 million, compared with $7.5 million cash in hand for Kerry.
Debates are also an opportunity for Beatty to make his case, but none are scheduled, though Beatty says he wants them and Kerry's campaign says he's happy to discuss them.
Beatty, 56, was born in New Jersey and adopted at birth. He became a member of the Army's elite Delta Force before working for the CIA, then forming a private security consulting business. He lives in Harwich.
Beatty opposes abortion rights and favors civil unions over gay marriage. He's also a supporter of the right to bear arms, school choice, stricter enforcement of immigration laws and tax cuts. He opposed the Iraq invasion, but said victory was important once it happened.
Beatty doesn't see his conservative positions as a liability in a liberal state where Kerry has had little trouble winning, noting the state's long list of Republican governors.
Beatty calls himself a middle-of-the road candidate with broad appeal, while portraying Kerry as extremely liberal and not particularly well-liked.
"When you tell people, `my name is Jeff Beatty and I'm running against John Kerry for United States Senate,' I don't get ... I'm not going to listen to you because you're Republican," Beatty said. "I get, 'Anybody but Kerry.'"
