Sen. Kerry, preparing for rare primary challenge, campaigns in Quincy
By John P. Kelly
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Aug 06, 2008

QUINCY - U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry, preparing for his first primary challenge in more than two decades, included a restaurant and bar in a campaign swing through downtown Quincy on Tuesday afternoon.

In a visit that lasted more than an hour, Kerry spoke to about 50 people in the basement of The Fours. He then set off on foot through Quincy Center, campaign staff in tow, and popped in and out of an ice cream parlor and a hair salon, shaking hands and posing for photographs with star-struck residents and workers.

Wollaston resident Philip Adams, 40, had just finished applying for heating-oil assistance at a social service agency on Hancock Street when he spotted Kerry and rushed across the street. He asked whether the senator was doing anything to help working-class people in Quincy with heating expenses, which are expected to rise sharply this year.

Eating a cup of ice cream from Quincy Creamery, Kerry told Adams that he had introduced legislation to provide $3 billion in energy assistance to low-income citizens. He also said he had written to the king of Saudi Arabia to ask him to donate from his oil profits to offset the financial burden on U.S. consumers.

The four-term senator, widely considered the favorite in the Sept. 16 Democratic primary, made no mention of his opponent, Gloucester lawyer Edward O'Reilly. Kerry was noncommittal when a reporter asked if he would agree to a series of debates O'Reilly proposed nearly two weeks ago.

"Our campaign managers have to talk about that," Kerry said.

In a phone interview, O'Reilly accused Kerry of putting his request on the back burner in order to ensure minimal public exposure for O'Reilly, a first-time statewide candidate with a fraction of Kerry's $8.8 million in campaign funds.

"Here I am, a working-class person, and all of a sudden John Kerry is showing up at Dunkin' Donuts. It's just a farce," said O'Reilly, 54, a onetime commercial lobsterman and Gloucester city councilor. "I want a direct answer: yes or no."

Kerry's campaign manager, Roger Lau, said debates had not been ruled out, but he also said Kerry's commitments, including his upcoming role at the Democratic National Convention, leave little time for the 23 debates O'Reilly wants.

Kerry's supporting cast on Tuesday included U.S. Rep. William Delahunt and state Sen. Michael Morrissey, both Quincy Democrats, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan.

Delahunt called Kerry "as much an icon for us as Ted Kennedy" and urged Democrats to turn out for the otherwise-quiet primary.

The winner of the Sept. 16 primary will face Republican Jeff Beatty, a former CIA official and member of the Army's Delta Force.

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