Projo Politics Blog

He's a Massachusetts senator, but John Kerry was in Providence and Newport today.

He's the former mayor of Boston and former ambassador to the Vatican, but Raymond Flynn was in Providence today.

The neighboring Bay State -- which held its primary as part of the nationwide "Super Tuesday" contests -- will have to wait for the Red Sox to open at Fenway because the action these days is in Rhode Island, where the primary tomorrow may prove more pivotal.

Flynn, who was a Vatican ambassador on President Bill Clinton's watch, has been here to campaign for Hillary Rodham Clinton. He did a local radio show this morning and was due to come to Clinton headquarters in Providence at 1 p.m., said Christine Heenan, spokeswoman for Clinton's campaign in Rhode Island.

Heenan said a New Hampshire state senator was also expected in Rhode Island at 4 p.m. to rally supporters -- including those here from New Hampshire -- and do some phone-banking.

Kerry has been in Rhode Island to campaign for Barack Obama. He was scheduled for a noon meet and greet in Newport after a 10 a.m. canvassing kick-off in Providence.

Also here today for Obama was Tony Lake, a former Clinton national security adviser who held what was billed as a "foreign policy conversation" at URI's Feinstein Providence campus this morning.

Tomorrow, the Rhode Island primary is one of four contests nationally that could prove important to settling the Democratic presidential nomination struggle. The other battles are in Texas, Ohio and Vermont.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney

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