John Kerry bests 1st primary opponent in 24 years
Steve LeblancSen. John Kerry fended off his first Democratic challenger in nearly a quarter century, handily defeating political newcomer Ed O'Reilly in Tuesday's primary.
Kerry said he was humbled by the support of Democratic voters and looked forward to the November election against Republican Jeff Beatty.
"There are unfinished fights that we must win, and I want to return to Washington to make sure every American has the same great health care that I receive as a senator," Kerry said in a statement. "I have always been honored to be the Junior Senator from Massachusetts."
O'Reilly, a relatively unknown lawyer who tried to make Kerry's 2003 vote authorizing President Bush to launch military action against Iraq a central issue, earned more than 30 percent of the vote in his race against Kerry, the Democratic party's presidential nominee just four years ago.
Those number sent a statement about voters' frustrations with Washington, O'Reilly said. "We never wavered from the issues and I think we really illuminated some of the problems," O'Reilly said. "We were outspent 10 to 1, and we got one-third of the vote. I think that was a pretty good showing."
Kerry said he knows there is "a lot of anger out there."
"Government has disappointed people and it's hard sometimes to get people to understand that just because you're in government doesn't mean you're not fighting for change," Kerry said.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, the state's senior senator who is battling a malignant brain tumor, voted Tuesday morning at Town Hall in Hyannis. He later congratulated Kerry on the win.
"I look forward to returning to the United States Senate with John Kerry in January as we work to get our economy moving again," Kennedy said.
Beatty, a former CIA official and member of the Army's Delta Force, said in a statement that he wants to bring "accountability and focus to this state's junior Senate seat after 24 long years with John Kerry."
Secretary of State William Galvin predicted low voter turnout because there was only one statewide race.
In Tuesday's other contested congressional race, Democrat U.S. Rep. John Olver, of Amherst, easily beat back a primary challenge by attorney Robert Feuer, an Iraq war critic. Olver has held the state's westernmost congressional seat since 1991.