This year's Massachusetts election boils down to a contest between two Democrats, both of whom are assured of reelection. Senator John F. Kennedy '40 has often commented "I am not running against Foster Furcolo;" however, he is.

In a year which everyone concedes is quite favorable to the Democratic Party, Kennedy has been an extremely busy politician. The Senator did not originally intend to run hard, but all plans were changed when the September primary returns made their way to his vacation desk.

It was not that returns foreshadowed trouble in his race for reelection; on the contrary, he outpolled his Republican opponent by a two to one margin. Senator Kennedy's anxiety arose from the fact that he ran 4,000 votes behind Governor Furcolo.

Therein lies the tale of this year's campaign, and it is an interesting, unusual political situation. For although neither Democratic candidate is worried about retaining his position, each is quite concerned about the size of his margin and the effects it will have on his future ambitions.

Kenedy's political hopes are common knowledge, although he has yet to throw his hat in the ring--he wants to be President of the United States. However, the fact that Governor Furcolo wants to become Senator Furcolo in 1961 seems to have received little publicity. Nevertheless, this situation is the key factor in the campaign. It has had two direct effects.

First, it has healed any rift which existed between the two men. A conflict in personalities and philosophies started several years ago when Kennedy was coming into national prominence and Furcolo was still a Congressman. At that time Furcolo told a gathering of ADA officials that the organization had outlived its usefulness and should disband. The Senator, as well as the ADA, was quite disturbed by this and let Furcolo know about it. Some people feel that Kennedy's subsequent failure to campaign was the cause of Furcolo's defeat in the 1954 Senatorial election.

The dispute flared into the open during a campaign broadcast when Furcolo showed up late and drew the verbal wrath of Kennedy. Unfortunately for both men, several reporters overheard the exchange and gave it wide coverage in the press.

However, as one of Kennedy's campaigning strategists phrased it, "we're all friends now." They need each other, and any differences have been smoothed over, at least until after the election. Senator Kennedy must have a solid Bay State delegation behind him if he hopes to get anywhere in 1960, and he realizes that Furcolo will be an important part of that delegation. Similarly, Furcolo knows that he would have little chance in the Senatorial race without Kennedy's support.

It will do Kennedy no good at all merely to win this election; he must win big. Should he fail to lead his ticket--as happened in the primary--his reputation as a vote-getter will suffer immeasurably and with it his hopes for the Presidential nomination.

The second effect of these ambitions became evident recently. The holder of the Senate seat that Furcolo is aiming at has responded to the cry. Senator Leverett Saltonstall has entered this year's race on an unprecedented scale. Ostensibly, he is out to help the Republican ticket; actually, he is drawing the lines of battle for his own fight in 1960. Therefore, what seems on the surface to be a rather routine election is actually the first stage of a battle involving the political futures of the three top Massachusetts office-holders.

Another contest has perhaps even greater state-wide significance--the fight for control of the Legislature. Never in the history of the Commonwealth have the Democrats held majorities in both the House and the Senate. This year however, they go into the election with a fairly comfortable majority in the House, and trail by the slight margin of 21 to 19 in the Senate.

Three Republican-held Senate seats are in danger. One of these is held by Otto F. Burkhardt (R-Westfield) who defeated Democrat John J. O'Rourke by the scant margin of three votes in 1956. The two are fighting it out again this year, and O'Rourke would seem to have the edge. Two other GOP seats--in Brookline and Newton--are going to the challengers.

A friendly Legislature would be helpful to Furcolo but there is a more important consideration. A new census will be taken in 1960 and Massachusetts will probably lose two or three Congressional seats. The Legislature will reapportion the state's districts, and the Republicans are harping on the possibility of a gerrymander should the Democrats win. Actually, gerrymander is a strong possibility no matter who wins.

With all these issues, one would expect large public interest in the campaign. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Bay State party leaders report voter apathy--despite the high stakes riding this fall.

The Republicans, facing an uphill battle, are most disturbed by this apathy. Besides the general Democratic trend which seems to be prevalent throughout the country, the Massachusetts branch of the Grand Old Party has a number of peculiar problems in its struggle to recapture the State House.