Amid day of campaigning, Kerry pauses for budget

WASHINGTON -- Mixing politics and campaign strategy, Senator John F. Kerry dashed around the Northeast yesterday, heading from Washington to Philadelphia to unveil a $200 million proposal for mentoring high school students and then rushing back to the US Senate for budget deliberations before heading to Boston for a fund-raiser.

The presumed Democratic nominee left open the possibility of returning to Washington late last night for a possible Senate vote on the Republicans' proposed blueprint for the 2005 federal budget. Republicans have hammered Kerry for skipping votes in recent months on issues that he touts on the campaign trail, including Medicare and energy, and Kerry's campaign rearranged his schedule throughout the day to avoid giving more fodder to President Bush's reelection campaign.

Speaking to reporters on his campaign trip from Philadelphia, where he spent three hours, to Washington, where he spent two hours, Kerry said he was not concerned about flying to the Boston fund-raiser and missing a possible vote, because he was "confident" his Democratic colleagues would keep speaking to force a longer debate until Kerry could return to the Senate for a second time. In the end, Republican leaders put off the vote until June.

Spokesman David Wade said Kerry was eager to speak on the Senate floor about the budget.

"This isn't what the budget of this country should be," Wade said outside the US Capitol as Kerry entered the building. "It's a missed opportunity to rein in the deficit. It's a missed opportunity to invest in education and health care."

Kerry's campaign also announced yesterday that he had raised about $30 million in April, about twice as much as President Bush's reelection team netted in the same month. Kerry had $28 million on hand at the end of April, according to Kerry's new Federal Election Commission filing, with campaign officials pointing out that they have narrowed Bush's advantage with cash on hand from 55 to 1 to 2 to 1 in two months.

"Over 475,000 Americans have now contributed to John Kerry, in the small amounts that they can afford and in the best ways that they know how," said a statement issued by campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill. The growing campaign fund will allow the Kerry camp "to go toe to toe with the Bush army," she said.

Earlier yesterday, Kerry visited a predominantly Latino high school on Philadelphia's North Side to announce a $200 million proposal for expanding GEAR UP, a federal fund that assists high schools in low-income neighborhoods by providing tutors, mentors, and advisers to help students prepare for college and master the admissions and financial aid paperwork. The program now enrolls about 1.3 million students at a cost of $300 million; Kerry would increase that funding by two-thirds to reach an estimated 2 million.

The scene at Edison High School was out of the ordinary for Kerry, and he appeared to relish it. About 300 students gathered on bleachers in the gymnasium and cheered wildly for their principal and for fellow students who gave brief remarks and sang the national anthem. When Kerry was introduced, the students -- most of them wearing white, green, and yellow campaign shirts that read "Opportunity for All" -- broke into a deafening chant of "we want Kerry," as the senator grinned broadly.

"Muchas gracias," Kerry said, sparking another ovation. He explained in Spanish that he only spoke a little of the language and then teased, "I'm really sorry I had to get you out of classes."

Kerry accused Bush of making tax cuts for Americans earning more than $200,000 a year a higher priority than education spending, pointing out that while eight schools in Philadelphia are part of GEAR UP -- which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergradute Programs -- funds were not available for 20 others that would like to participate.

"The question we have to ask ourselves in America is, why?" Kerry said, noting that only 18 percent of blacks and 14 percent of Latinos have a college degree. "Why are we choosing to do other things at the expense of those young people."

Patrick Healy can be reached at phealy@globe.com.