The Primary

The race wound down, with Boston Globe and Boston Herald polls showing Capuano neck-and-neck with Flynn as of late August. In the latter of days of the campaign, Bachrach began to pull out all the stops.

He promised to cut the national defense budget 14 percent and re-invest the money in schools.

Capuano says he believes the progressives of the district were not looking for promises, they were looking for pragmatism.

"The only promises I've ever made is to do the best job I can," he says.

"And I don't think the average voter is stupid enough to fall for those things, and I think this election is proof of that."

Proof--in the form of a huge victory.

Carried by strong support in Somerville, Capuano netted 24 percent of the vote in the 10-candidate field. Ray Flynn was second, with 17 percent. Bachrach finished third.

In Massachusetts a majority is not required to win a primary election.

"I've always thought voters were smarter than we give them credit for," Capuano says.

"They know that whoever was elected Congressman was not elected King of the world."

"As a member of Congress," he continues, "you don't get to cut the defense budget 5 percent or 14 percent. [And] any person should be able to stand back and say the government is not ready to cut 14 percent from the defense budget."

"The first focus I'm going to take is to learn how to work within the House establishment," he says.

"I can talk about all sorts of great issues in the world, but it's not going to work if I don't learn how to work within the current system."

Get to Work...But First