In Massachusetts, Alexander held a rally in front of Faneuil Hall, Dole visited the Boston area and Buchanan held a controversial rally on historic Lexington Green.

On Yankee Primary night, Dole easily won each of the New England primaries and inched closer to the Republican nomination.

"The Republicans in Massachusetts--joining Republicans from every corner of the country--have sent a powerful message. Bob Dole will be the nominee of the Republican Party," said Bay State Lt. Gov. A. Paul Cellucci on primary night in downtown Boston.

In the Bay State, Dole finished with 48 percent of the vote, easily outdistancing second-place Buchanan, who garnered 25 percent.

But Dole and the other Republican challengers did not electrify collegiate Republicans here at Harvard or around the Bay State.

On Yankee Primary day, the turnout in the precincts around Harvard was a dismal five to seven percent.

"I think there's lack of that real energizing candidate," said Harvard Republican Club member Steven F. Sakis '98.

After the New England primaries, Dole turned his attention to the bigger prizes of New York and California and claimed the national nomination several weeks later.

Residents of the Bay State, however, may have seen the last of Dole. His campaign advisers will almost assuredly convince him that he has little chance in November in this bastion of the Democratic Party, making campaigning here virtually useless.

A Heated Senate Race

While the presidential race may not be close in Massachusetts, this year's Senate race in the Bay State is shaping up to be as intense as a Yankees-Red Sox series during a late September pennant race.

In an election where one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs, the battle between Democratic junior senator John F. Kerry and present Gov. William F. Weld '66 is the most high-profile race in the country.

A Weld win here would cement the Republican hold on the Senate and add credence to the belief that even in this traditional Democratic stronghold, conservatism is on the rise.

Weld, a former Adams House resident, has been remarkably popular as a Republican governor in the Bay State, easily winning re-election against his Democratic challenger in 1994.

The governor is known for blending social liberalism--he is prochoice and is unwavering in his support for gay rights--with a tough fiscal conservatism, advocating tax cuts and an overhaul of the welfare system.