Word: moakley
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...Neill's optimism was typical of Moakley's coordinators throughout the evening, despite discouraging reports from several precincts that unexpectedly favored Hicks. "That's okay, the results aren't really enough to go by," one coordinator sighed unflinchingly as he continued explaining Moakley's program to a crowd of reporters...
Even the elements seemed to line up with Moakley Long before returns began to trickle in communications director Timmy O'Neill predicted that the clear, sunny day would shine on the side of the Independent challenger. "Hicks does well on dreary, rainy days," he said. "On bad days the good people don't get their share of the vote...
...Moakley victory celebration was written in the stars on November 7, it took some pretty fancy pencil pushing to put it there. Hicks had defeated Moakley in the 1970 Democratic primary with her solid core of supporters. Realizing that it was impossible to unseat Hicks in the primary, Moakley sat out the 1972 preliminaries to challenge her head-on as an Independent in the general election...
...Moakley's campaign then became a step-by-step program to break down Hicks' seemingly impenetrable fortress and to build on his own base of support. As the highest vote-getter in the 1971 City Council election and with a 14-year record in the Massachusetts legislature, Moakley began the campaign with a sizeable constituency. And Senator Bob Cawley's redistricting scheme added Moakley supporters to the voter rolls...
There was another obstacle besides Hick's indomitable supporters and her immediate visibility as the incumbent. The Independent Moakley had staged his fight in one of the most traditionally Democratic districts on the map, and he was forced to spend much of his time convincing the voters of his Democratic loyalty. "I was trying to reaffirm my principles as a Democrat by giving the Democrats a real choice," he said. A pre-election survey of the 9th District electorate showed that the battle plan had worked--only 10 per cent would vote against Moakley because of his independent status...