Kerry visit to Boston nets $4m

Returning to the host city of the Democratic convention with his party's nomination under his belt, Senator John F. Kerry last night presided over the largest political fund-raiser in Massachusetts history and offered some red meat from his trail speech for a hometown audience.

"We're not just here tonight to raise money," Kerry told a crowd of 3,300 gathered in a ballroom at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, a group that collectively raised $4 million for Kerry's campaign and $1 million for the Democratic National Committee. "We're here to mark the beginning of the end of the Bush administration."

Joined on stage by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Kerry reveled in the cheers of an audience that included Democratic activists, members of the Massachusetts congressional and legislative delegations, as well as Cambridge native and actor Ben Affleck; Seth Meyers, the comedian who plays Kerry on TV's "Saturday Night Live;" and Sam Poulton of Chelmsford, an Army reservist and longtime Democrat who just returned from 13 months in Iraq.

The senator also blasted away at conservative Republicans who have branded him a liberal figure, declaring: "There is nothing conservative, whatsoever, about this administration, which has taken surpluses as far as the eye can see and turned then into deficits as far as the eye can see. There's nothing conservative about blatantly violating that beautiful line drawn by our Founding Fathers that separates church and state in the United States of America. There is nothing conservative about an attorney general who disrespects the Constitution and steps on the civil rights and civil liberties of Americans. And there is nothing conservative about a president of the United States who toys with the greatest document in political history, the Constitution of the United States, during an election year for political purposes to drive a wedge between the American people.

"And we reject those politics," Kerry said to a cheer from the crowd.

Affleck, a crowd favorite, said afterward in an interview: "I think he's a phenomenal candidate, and I look forward to continuing to support him. I supported him as a senator and I think he'll make a great president."

Earlier in the day, Kerry continued his weeklong college tour with a visit to the University of Rhode Island. He and Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, joined students in a roundtable discussion about college affordability, before Kerry held a town hall meeting with students and participated in a fund-raiser at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence.

Introducing Kerry at the Providence event, Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat and son of Senator Kennedy, told the crowd: "My father couldn't feel more strongly about anything in his life. He said to me, if he could give up the Senate right now and spend every waking hour campaigning for John Kerry for the rest of this campaign, it would make more of a difference than if he ever showed up to the United States Senate for quorum call. He said there is nothing, as Democrats, that will matter more to our country on a range of issues than getting John Kerry elected president."

Campaign spokesman David Wade said the Rhode Island event raised about $1 million from 800 people, a record for a Democratic presidential fund-raiser in the state.

Meanwhile, focus groups conducted last month in St. Louis and Philadelphia for the AFL-CIO found that Kerry "doesn't warm anybody up," and that his backers in organized labor must help him bond with undecided union members if they are to vote for him.

The same focus groups, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press, found Bush likable and strong, "with a nice family and good moral values," said a memo about the results. The focus groups were performed by Lake Snell Perry & Associates, a Democratic group.

The findings highlighted the challenge facing Kerry as he tries to overcome a reputation for aloofness. They have special meaning for Kerry because unions are a core Democratic constituency, yet the focus groups reveal that Bush still appeals to some segments -- namely so-called Reagan Democrats -- despite their leaders' staunch criticism of the president.

Kerry has pledged to build the largest grass-roots movement in the history of American politics, rooted in the strength of the labor movement. He has enjoyed the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters throughout the campaign, but other groups such as the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees endorsed rival Howard Dean before shifting their allegiance to Kerry after the primaries.

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com.