If Kerry runs for President in 2008

should he also run for reelection to the Senate, or should he not run for reelection, and if he does not run for reelection, should he retire early?

To run or not to run poses a complex dilemma for Sen. John F. Kerry as he ponders a series of choices looming in his political future: whether to pursue re-election in 2008, launch another presidential bid, or try to juggle both. Speculation has already spread through Massachusetts Democratic circles about Kerry's intentions, given the pent-up ambition of nearly half the state's congressmen, who likely would try for Kerry's seat if he gave it up. Kerry has clearly aimed to stay in the national spotlight since losing the election, keeping his name on the list of possible 2008 Democrat contenders.

But the next presidential election coincides with the end of Kerry's Senate term in 2008, posing a dilemma the Bay State senator did not face during his failed presidential bid. This time around there would be political pressure for Kerry to give up his seat if he decides to spend his time jetting around the country in a second attempt at capturing the Oval Office. Running for both offices would make Kerry look like he was playing it safe and not fully committed to winning the presidency, said veteran political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

``I think it would send the wrong signal if he tried to hedge his bets,'' Rothenberg said. ``There would be some skeptics after he ran and lost; that would only feed his critics.'' If Kerry decides to give up his seat, he faces another tough decision on whether to resign and quit the Senate early - allowing him to campaign full-time - or to serve out the remainder of his term.

Giving up his duties in the chamber would inoculate Kerry from the blanket of criticism he received during his presidential run for missing a large number of Senate votes and committee work. An early resignation would touch off a special election to fill the seat, and nearly half of the Bay State's congressmen likely would jump into the race. U.S. Reps. Martin Meehan , Edward Markey, Barney Frank and Stephen Lynch all laid the groundwork for a campaign last year in case Kerry had beaten President Bush
Mass. reps wait in the wings as Kerry mulls future

God forbid Kerry's early departure would give Corsi a chance to get that seat. I would think he'd play some part in the planning of the proceedings. They'd need someone running for Kerry's seat who had a chance of winning, that's for sure. We don't need to lose another Dem seat.

whether it was against Kerry or not.

in the Primary if Kerry decides not to run for re-election to Senate.

A total laughingstock.

That guy would just undo all the good stuff that Kerry has done over the years. Plus if Kerry doesn't win again he can do stuff still like he is now.

I want to see Kerry stay in some elected office, no matter what. Running for the Senate in MA can be a pretty brutal game. But there have been races where Kerry has gone virtually unchallenged. The Mass Dems are chomping at the bit to run for the Senate. There hasn't been an open Senate seat in 20 years, and several of the congressional reps would love to run for a "promotion" to the Senate. But I'm sure Kerry would be raked over the coals in the national press for running for both offices at the same time.

I need to think about it as well. I don't think MA would forgive another run as a sitting US Senator. Kerry took a lot of shit for that in 2004. (I heard it from people all the time, "He doesn't even show up for his current job." Dumb Dora's. You can't argue with idiots. Kerry has a nearly perfect attendance record, which sounds like grade school ferchrissakes, in the Senate. Except for that one time that he sought that promotion. Get over it, MA. You have a good and sincere guy in there. Give him the benefit of the doubt.)

The free-for-all for that Senate seat would be great. It would really shake the rafters of the MA Dem Party. (Which needs to be shaken. We have been static for a long time now.)

I'd hate to lose his voice in the public square, but I don't think he'd be able to avoid a ton of bad publicity if he tried to do both.

Mind you, I'd vote for him twice in one election in a heartbeat. But it might look to people like he was displaying a discouraging lack of confidence in his presidential run, don't you think? I can see the ads now - wishy washy flip flop???? Argh.

It's one thing to ask someone to give up a seat they already hold in order to run - I never thought for an instant he should do that. But this is different.

Then again, maybe he wants to elect a dem governor first and then think about what to do...;-)

They used his record all the time. I was watching the PBS 2004 decision between Bush/Kerry and they interviewed this one guy who was running against Kerry once and he used Kerry's record against him just like Bush did this time around. The guy said Kerry was a very smart person on making decisions on what to vote for. Plus you can just tell he is serious about his career. Why would he not show up on important things and play hookey? That's like when Cheney said he didn't ever meet Edwards before and it was sought out the next day they've met three times before. :eyes: