Scattered supporters of Sen. John Kerry were greeted with a surprise appearance by middleweight boxing champion Bernard Hopkins as the Kerry-Edwards campaign plane touched down at the Philadelphia International Airport yesterday afternoon.
The Democratic presidential candidate, whose words could barely be heard above the furious clicking of cameras, seemed to be well on his way to recovering from a cold he has been suffering from recently -- which is fortunate, given that he is slated to speak today at a rally on Hill Field.
Kerry and Hopkins, who toted his gleaming boxing belts, frequently struck poses reminiscent of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky.
Hopkins is "the real Rocky," Kerry campaign spokesman Mark Nevins said. "Here's someone who grew up poor in Philly. He worked hard, and now he's the middleweight [boxing] champion. That's the message Kerry is communicating to people -- you work hard, you can be a champion."
Known as "The Executioner," Hopkins, who claimed victory over Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas on Saturday, was energetic in his advocacy for the Kerry campaign.
"The man is sincere," Hopkins said. "He has my vote. He has my support."
"I also let him know that he's in a fight," Hopkins continued, comparing the presidential elections to a boxing match. "He's not in the ring, [but] there's a lot of muscling in this campaign."
"Kerry knows a lot about boxing," said Hopkins, who will be at the rally today.
This is Kerry's 17th visit to the Keystone State, a veritable battleground that has seen President George W. Bush visit 37 times.
Bush stopped for a rally in King of Prussia, Pa., on Wednesday afternoon.
Pennsylvania remains one of some 20 states still in play, as this week the Kerry campaign has canceled advertising in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and even Missouri.
Some students speculate that Kerry's presence in Philadelphia is a signal that his campaign is in trouble.
"After the [Republican National] Convention, he went down about nine, 10 points nationally," Penn College Republicans President and College junior Eric Rechtschaffen said. "And Pennsylvania is one of the few swing states left which doesn't have a strong Bush lead. ... Obviously, Kerry's here to try to rally the students."
"He can come here as many times as he wants, but the student body will make the correct decision," Rechtschaffen said. "I have no doubt that this campus is going for Bush."
The campus has been buzzing with excitement for the past few days in anticipation of Kerry's arrival today. However, Rechtschaffen is unfazed.
"First, there's a big difference between how many students download tickets and how many actually wind up going," he said. "Also, even if a student does attend, after hearing Kerry inevitably taking two sides on each position, he or she will be turned off."
