His Congressional experience, he says, became more important than sticking to "what clearly was a mistake to begin with."

"I would be compounding it by following through with the decision I know is wrong and not following through with the interests of my home state," he says.

He points with pride to his work from the past term. He has obtained funding for a reuse plan of the closed Fort Devens army base, passed campaign finance reform in the House, added parts of the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System and been recognized by the Concord Coalition seven years in a row for fiscal

responsibility.

"I've been a strong advocate of strong fiscal policy," he says. "That type of voting record has helped turn the economy around and put the federal government budget in better order."

In the upcoming term, Meehan says he will work to pay off the national debt by 2012, establish a patients' bill of rights and Medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors--and continue to push his signature issue.

"The truth is there are more members in the Senate and Congress who will support campaign finance reform because of the gains Democrats have made in the House and Senate," he says hopefully.

But while Meehan works on those issues in 2001 and 2002, he might also be running for governor at the same time.