Patrick, Healey go down to wire

But to Republican Kerry Healey, who dubbed herself the underdog yesterday, the Democrats' enthusiasm for Election Day only provided more evidence for her closing argument: that her rival is itching to install an all-Democratic regime on Beacon Hill to tax and spend without opposition.

In an interview with reporters at a town hall meeting in Wakefield, Healey said it "would be considered a big upset" if she won on Tuesday, but she expressed confidence about her chances.

"People are moving in my direction," she said. "They are opening their eyes to one-party rule and remembering the days of [former governor] Michael Dukakis."

Furious last-minute politicking by Patrick and the lieutenant governor capped a busy weekend of events for both candidates, who crisscrossed Eastern Massachusetts for a final flurry of meet-and-greets, pancake breakfasts, community meetings, and get-out-the vote rallies. Patrick and Healey each spoke of the high stakes tomorrow in urging their supporters to cast their ballots -- Patrick citing the need for stronger leadership, Healey promising to be a check on the Legislature.

Patrick, enjoying a double-digit lead in the polls, talked about translating the momentum from his campaign into a momentum for governing. Rallying supporters at Lowell High School in the afternoon, the Democrat said he and his lieutenant governor candidate, Tim Murray, would still need voters' help and cooperation if they win .

"When we win!" a member of the crowd hollered.

"Well, OK, let's go on and say it: When we win," Patrick said to cheers.

He quickly added, "But it ain't over yet."

Over eggs, bacon, French toast, and cranberry muffins, nearly 600 people at a Dedham banquet hall yesterday morning heard Patrick, state Senator Marian Walsh, and a host of other Democrats expound on what a big victory tomorrow would mean.

The Norfolk County commissioner, Francis "Fran" W. O'Brien, said he looked forward to a Patrick-Murray administration, because it would be far easier for Walsh to get new money for the county's crumbling courthouses.

"We have had bond bills after bond bills, and this governor has never released the money for some of our courts in Norfolk County," O'Brien said. "And when Deval Patrick is here, and Tim Murray, I'm sure the senator will be more successful, and we will have our courthouses put into shape so the environment is wonderful for the employees and the people that go to our courthouses."

The crowd applauded.

That's precisely the kind of free-spending attitude Healey and her running mate, Reed Hillman, were warning about yesterday. In Wakefield, Healey and Hillman tried to hammer home the importance of keeping the governor's office in Republican hands.

"If we have Deval Patrick in the Corner Office, all the decisions will be made behind closed doors," Healey said. "All discussions will be private."

Late yesterday afternoon, she campaigned in Boston's North End with former governor Paul Cellucci, greeting shop owners and patrons while flanked by a gaggle of cameras and reporters. She walked along Hanover Street, ending at Ristorante Fiore, where a half-dozen supporters carrying signs were waiting for her.

Cellucci called Healey and Hillman the "Standard bearers of our party," and "The only two people who can make sure we don't return to a one-party government."

"People are fired up," Healey said. "They feel -- and they're correct -- that the future of the Commonwealth hangs in the balance."

Earlier in the day, Healey stopped by a pancake breakfast at the Senior Activity Center in Methuen, posing for pictures and shaking every hand of the nearly 100 senior citizens there. Appearing upbeat and relaxed, Healey talked about keeping prescription drugs affordable and providing senior centers with more automobiles to help the people run errands.

But the most important issue, Healey said, was making Massachusetts a more affordable place to live by lowering the state income tax rate to 5 percent.

"What's happening to this state?" she asked, noting that it's so expensive to live here young families are moving away from the communities their families have lived in for generations.

A State House News Service poll released yesterday indicated that Patrick led Healey 51 to 27 percent. The poll was taken Nov. 1-2 and carried a 5 percentage point margin of error.

Healey told reporters in Methuen that despite the polls, she believes the race is winnable.

"My experience has shown that polls don't tell the whole story," she said, referring to her race for lieutenant governor in 2002. "It's about momentum and where people are on Election Day."

Carole and David Gilberti, both retired teachers and registered Republicans, said Healey just needs to continue showing voters how direct and honest she can be on the issues.

"Just keep answering the questions the way she does," said David Gilberti, 59. "She is answering every single question."

Also campaigning yesterday was Christy Mihos, an independent who planned to greet supporters and staff at a pub in Dorchester before calling into a radio talk show to discuss his plan to eliminate school activity fees. Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross attended a service at First United Methodist Church in Middleborough and an event in Chinatown on the Iraq war.

In Dedham at the Harvest Breakfast 2006, an annual gathering sponsored by Walsh, Patrick was greeted by families, public employees, and representatives from organized labor. The guest list featured a who's who of Boston politics, including Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and city councilors Stephen J. Murphy, John Tobin, and Sam Yoon.

Patrick asked the crowd to stay engaged on issues long after tomorrow. "The job is hard, it's complicated, and it will require commitment and focus and sacrifice," Patrick said. "And that means that all of us have to stay engaged after the vote, that you have to bring the best that you have and the best that you are every day, not just in time for elections. That's where we're headed, that's what we are about. So let's go to work for that."

After his remarks, Patrick told reporters that despite his confidence, he and his supporters could not afford to "coast" from here until Election Day.

"Nobody's going to give us transformed political or civic life just because we hoped for it," he said. "We've got to go work for it."

Even supporters seemed to be on message.

Asked if she was confident about a Patrick win, Sheila Dwyer, a 34-year-old Newton lawyer, rejected the word.

"Optimistic," she said. "We don't want to be complacent."

In Lowell, Patrick received a warm reception from several hundred people at the high school. The area's leading politicians, including US Representative Martin Meehan and state senators Steven C. Panagiotakos and Steven Baddour, were some of Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly's biggest supporters in the Democratic primary, but yesterday they were all about Patrick.

"Won't that be something, when the Republicans bring in the moving trucks, with all their boxes?" Meehan said. "They're moving out after 16 long years."

Patrick's campaign manager, John Walsh, said yesterday that the camp's turnout strategy would help them prevail tomorrow. "`I feel very good," Walsh said.

But so does Healey, for the Republicans have a vaunted 72-hour turnout effort that's reaped them many victories in the past. Said Healey: "It will make a difference."

Globe correspondent Hailey Heinz contributed to this report. Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com.