And Watanabe said that if Kerrey runs against"a well-funded articulate candidate," he couldfind himself fighting to hold onto his Senateposition.

When Kerrey last ran in 1990, Watanabe said, hefaced Jim Rappaport, "a third-rate candidate, whogave him a run for his money."

This has given some Massachusetts Republicans asmall glimmer of hope that they will be able toinstall one of their own in the United StatesSenate next November.

And many in the party, impressed with thecampaign Romney ran against Sen. Kennedy lastyear, say they are hoping he will challengeKerrey.

But Romney on election night in November wasnoncommittal about his plans for next year.

"I'm not opening the door, I'm not closing thedoor, I'm leaving it right where it is," he said.

Presidential Race '96

Next year kicks off another presidentialcampaign and with the Massachusetts primaryscheduled for next March, leaders of both stateparties say they are gearing up for what promisesto be another costly and rancorous political race.

Watanabe says that Clinton should not have ahard time winning in Massachusetts, if hisopponent is "of the quality of George Bush."

"Clinton may be a fair president at best, buthe is a hell of a candidate," Watanabe said. "Heis not a good salesman when his opposition is soamorphous, [but] if he can zero in on someone, Iwould not write him off as a lot of people have."

And with Clinton's popularity in this state at58 percent, according to some polls, the state'sRepublican party can only hope for a strong GOPcandidate who will inspire Bay State voters tocross party lines.

"Massachusetts will go along with the rest ofthe country, it may take some time, but we will doit," Vernon says