Tsongas gains last day strength

CONCORD, N.H. -- Paul Tsongas, the former Massachusets senator whose name most people learned to pronounce only recently, delivered an early victory speech here yesterday afternoon at a festive and raucus campaign rally. Tsongas, who holds a strong lead over Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas in most polls, warmly thanked the boisterous crowd of banner-waving supporters for helping his campaign surge to the lead in New Hampshire in recent weeks. He joked several times about his much-reported lack of charisma and appeared a little uncomfortable under the spotlight, but he clearly enjoyed being on the verge of winning tomorrow's Decoratic primary. "Feel it. Enjoy it. Savor it," he shouted to the crowd. "And let's go get 'em tomorrow." But Tsongas did not waste more than a minute to address the notion held by many people that he is a "regional candidate" who will not fare well once he is out of the Northeast. The candidate's campaign team made a rather obvious attempt to kill the theory by having Bob Krueger, the Texas railroad commissioner, introduce Tsongas as a candidate with a plan for the entire nation -- not just New England. Tsongas pointed to his second-place finish in the Iowa caucus as a success. Although none of the candidates contested Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, Tsongas received more votes than Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, whose state lies next door to Iowa. He also cited polls that showed him in second-place both in Maryland and Colorado, even though he has not campaigned heavily in either state. "I am a regional candidate," he said with a smirk. "North, South, East and West." The crowd, which waited in the stifling heat of the Ramada Inn Ballroom until Tsongas finally arrived 45 minutes later than scheduled, consisted mainly of older adults. Interspersed among them, however, were several college students who had traveled to Concord to show their support for Tsongas and liked what they saw. Paul Winter, a senior at Northeastern University and the chairperson of the College Democrats there, criticized those that harp on Tsongas for his style. "A lot of people cut on him for not being a polished speaker," he said. "He's just more human." Ashley Burkart, a sophomore at Tufts University who is in town with her American Elections classmates, nearly gushed praise for Tsongas after his speech. "He's so much more charismatic in person," she said. "He's down to earth, so honest. I think that's what we need right now." Jeff Eherenkranz, another Tufts sophomore traveling with the class, added that Tsongas convinced him that the former senator's appeal does in fact stretch beyond the Northeast. "He's more than just regional," he said. "I think right now he's definitely the best candidate." During the speech, Tsongas proclaimed the beginning of "a new Democratic Party," and he said he planned to be its leader. He said the party would continue to advocate social issues, environment and abortion rights, while at the same time take a more pro-business approach towards improving the economy and helping the middle class. And the political marriage of old and new is exactly what Winter finds appealing about Tsongas' ideas. "He is more pro-business, but he doesn't forget the liberal causes like the environemnt and the right to choose," he said. "It's a breath of fresh air." He said he is confident that as the campaign wears on, Tsongas will be able to endear himself to voters, "if the people just listen to the message." One person who disagreed with that prediction is Tufts sophomore Stephen Arbuthnot, who believes New York Governor Mario Cuomo will wind up with the nomination after voters pick him as a write-in candidate. Currently, polls show that about 3 percent of New Hampshire Democrats support Cuomo as a write-in. Arbuthnot said all five Democratic candiadtes in the field are "second rate." He said Cuomo is the "big gun" and should not be blamed for staying out of the race until to now to deal with budget problems in New York.