"Italians will stick together politically...You can't underestimate the Italian voters," said Glenn S. Koocher '71, a Cambridge political analyst.

Cellucci's focus now seems to be capturing the independent swing voters who hold the key to a November victory.

"I think this election will be won or lost on the independent [voters]," said Emanuel G. Serra, a First Suffolk District state representative and Cellucci supporter.

Cellucci is trying to swing voters by continuing to hammer away at Harshbarger as a tax-and-spend liberal. Even in his comments on the sidewalks of Bennington Street, he continued the theme he used during the Oct. 5 Lowell debate.

"I think Scott Harshbarger is a riskyproposition for Massachusetts...Scott Harshbargeris going to spend the taxpayer's money," Celluccisaid.

Cellucci emphasized that Harshbarger's desireto increase funding is not countered by spendingcuts.

"He doesn't have an answer. He's going to raisetaxes," Cellucci said.

However, Cellucci's criticism received a blowwhen fellow Democrat Thomas M. Finneran, thefinancially conservative State Speaker of theHouse, fully endorsed Harshbarger this Thursday.

"It's a tremendous boost because of the wayCellucci is trying to portray Scott as atax-and-spend liberal," said Ed Cafasso, aHarshbarger spokesperson.

While Harshbarger has received endorsementsfrom over a hundred Democratic lawmakers includingSen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.) and VicePresident Al Gore '69, Finneran's endorsement wasnotable not only because of Finneran'sconservative financial views but also because ofhis earlier comments.

In a post-primary party unity breakfast onSept. 16, Finneran supported Democraticcandidates, but was cryptic in his comments onHarshbarger.

"The question is, 'Is the Democratic Partygoing to lurch to the left?'..We win when we stayin the middle and when we stay sane...If you goloony left, you lose," Finneran told The BostonGlobe.

However, in a press conference last Thursday,Finneran unabashedly endorsed Harshbarger, callinghim "a strong and effective leader forMassachusetts."

Finneran also said he was comfortable withHarshbarger's sense of financial responsibility.

"In my conversations with [Harshbarger], I havereached a level of comfort and assurance thatScott won't lose sight of the paramountresponsibility of fiscal prudence and fiscaldiscipline," Finneran said in a statement.

Harshbarger's campaign emphasized thatFinneran's comments were not a warning toHarshbarger, but rather campaign advice for thewhole party.