Watertown Native Challenging Kerry in '08

Yesterday's Boston Herald reported that Gloucester attorney Edward O’Reilly, a Watertown native, is planning to challenge Senator John Kerry in the 2008 Democratic primary for his Senate seat. O'Reilly's complaint about the Senator is his 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War resolution, a vote that Kerry himself now even admits was a mistake.

O'Reilly described himself to the Herald as "no flash in the pan," but he faces high hurdles to even get on the 2008 ballot. He not only needs 10,000 signatures, but he'll need the vote of 15% of the delegates at the 2008 state convention. The latter is a feat that gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli only barely pulled off last year. O'Reilly would likely have to accomplish that without the support of any institutional Democrat and without the benefit of a pre-convention advertising blitz. It seems doubtful that O'Reilly will make the ballot.

The article notes that O'Reilly will be at tomorrow's Democratic convention in Amherst. I'm also going, and perhaps I'll try to track him down and find out more.