SAUGUS, Mass.--With its fastfood chains, car dealerships and walk-in pet clinics, this pit stop on the road to Maine is a world away from the sunny 20th floor office out of which State Attorney General L. Scott Harshbarger '64 ponders the Charles River basin, the MIT dome and the spires of Harvard's river houses.

But with the Democratic gubernatorial primary less than a year away, Harshbarger is beginning to spend more of his evenings at places like the Continental Restaurant--a low-lying, dimly lit establishment on the highway that runs through town.

Born in the hills of central Pennsylvania, Harshbarger, 54, is a former record-setting Harvard football player, a former Middlesex County district attorney and now is in his second term as the state's attorney general.

With the primary looming in September 1998, rumors of who will be running are buzzing around the state like flies around a cow. Harshbarger is already out on the campaign trail. On a Thursday evening earlier this month, Harshbarger was at the Continental making his case for the state's highest office.

"It's going to be a marathon, not a sprint," Harshbarger says.

As members of the Middlesex County Bar Association devoured a meal of kidneys and scallops wrapped in bacon, baked potatoes and mammoth swordfish steaks, Harshbarger spoke to the group about his plans for reforming the state's juvenile justice system.

With a confident voice, Harshbarger charmed the smoke-filled room as he talked of improving the system while keeping bureaucratic growth and mismanagement to a minimum.

Few doubt that Harshbarger's polished lines and what many call his perfect TV looks will help him woo Bay State voters.

But Harshbarger may be forced to raise his level of play a few notches if he wants to make it through the Democratic primary.

U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.), a controversial figure whose name comes with the weight of a Massachusetts legend, is likely to be Harshbarger's opponent in the primary.

Harshbarger's colleagues say that although polls consistently favor Kennedy by double digits, the race will be close. But in order to keep it close, Harshbarger must get out and start doing what he does best--plugging away at places like the Continental.

"The effectiveness of his campaigning is that he's a real fighter when he's on the campaign trail," said Stephen McGrail, a Middlesex Country lawyer who ran against Harshbarger for the district attorney's office in 1986 and plans to support Kennedy in 1988.

"His loyal, loyal supporters will go right to the wall for him," McGrail said.

Faced with the money, power and charm of a Kennedy candidate in the heart of Kennedy country, Harshbarger is already digging in for a long fight.

Pennsylvania Upbringing