Martin A. Linsky, a lecturer in public policyat the John F. Kennedy School of Government, saysMalone may have had no other choice but toemphasize his conservative record.
"It's very difficult to beat an incumbent in aprimary," Linsky said. "Cellucci has had a goodyear and a half to be governor, and the onlyopportunity he had was to try and distinguishhimself from Cellucci based on his ideology."
"People who think of themselves as very, veryconservative will vote for Malone," Linsky adds."Cellucci will win the votes of otherRepublicans."
Dave Corenier, a 40-year-old telecommunicationsworker in Marlborough, says he is one Republicanwho grew dismayed with Malone.
"I first thought I would vote for Malone, buthe blew it in the debates," Corenier says.
"His whole campaign has been about accusingCellucci of being a liberal, but in this day andage of politics, you have to be more flexible thanthat," he says.
Still, even with the widespread support of theRepublican party, political analysts like Linksyquestion whether Cellucci can duplicate thepolitical success of his predecessor, William F.Weld '66, who won support from all sides of thepolitical spectrum.
Already, Cellucci, who amassed more than $3.1million in campaign contributions by the middle ofAugust, collected about $26,000 in predominantlyDemocratic Cambridge where Weld lives.
"Weld lived in Cambridge and went to Harvard asan undergraduate," Linsky says. "The support Weldgot was unusual from the Harvard community. Itwould be hard to transfer that to Cellucci."
But for all the polls and the predictions,voters throughout Massachusetts are simply eagerto see what transpires in November.
"Cellucci should stop focusing on the primaryand start worrying about the general election,"says Boxborough resident Debbie Connery. "It's nosurprise that Cellucci will beat Malone. He shouldbe focusing on Harshbarger."
Registered Democratic voters like O'Brienagree.
"I think it's going to be a knock-down,drag-out fight as it should be," O'Brien says."Cellucci's been running on Weld's record andHarshbarger is going to bring that out. Thenagain, Cellucci will have something to say aboutHarshbarger's record. May the best man win."