George Bachrach, the former state senator who gave Kennedy a run for his money in 1986, threw his hat into the ring.

So did millionaire Christopher F. O. Gabrielli '81, a venture capitalist, and Marjorie O'Neill Clapprood, a former state legislator-cum-talk show host.

Two Boston city councilors, Charles Yancey and Tom Keane, secured enough signatures to put their names on the ballot as did John O'Connor, Alex Rodriguez and Susan Tracy.

As the race settled, Capuano's early organization paid off, and pundits began to give him a strong, second look.

And then, on April 29, the spoiler: Raymond L. Flynn, the popular former mayor of Boston and ex-U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, announced that he would not challenge L. Scott Harshbarger '72 for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Instead, he said, he was joining the race for the Eighth.

Polls conducted by The Boston Globe, which showed Capuano's support steadily rising, suddenly gave Flynn the edge.

Juggling Act

Capuano now faced a crowded field of contenders. And he had a city to run.

"It [was] much more hectic in prior campaigns," he says. "The best thing about them is if you're focused and run a good campaign, it's not too bad. It was a lot of work but there was only one ball in play here."

"But now," he recalls thinking, "I have several balls, significant balls up in the air. I'd like to concentrate on several of them simultaneously."

The hot political summer did Capuano well. He capitalized on his Somerville base, and, whenever possible, he canvassed his district, shaking hands and renewing old friendships.

He hammered his opponents on education and took slack for Somerville's questionable education record, but survived.

He came off sounding like a committed moderate in debates, strong and steady.

While Flynn invoked his political legacy and Bachrach touted an impressive plan for activist government, Capuano says he tried to be modest.

"When I ran for the office, I presumed whoever won this seat would become a member of the [House's] minority party," he says. "That's not a shock. That was part of my decision-making process."