Kerry Seeks Image Makeover

April 16, 2004

Kerry Seeks Image Makeover

Sen. John Kerry "told a group of wealthy and well-connected supporters on Thursday that he would soon start an aggressive campaign to define himself as a centrist," the New York Times reports.

The Washington Post says Kerry "will begin using new images to introduce himself to voters with an intensified ad blitz in the next two weeks just as President Bush scales back his media offensive."

"With internal polls and focus groups showing that voters know little about his candidacy, Kerry plans a new ad campaign based on findings that voters are receptive to his military résumé and 'New Democrat' message of fiscal restraint and national security might."

As is expected, Republicans are trying to define Kerry first. The Los Angeles Times reports the GOP "opened a potentially significant new front Thursday in their battle with Democrat John F. Kerry, launching their first broad assault against his views on abortion, gun control, gay marriage, the death penalty and other social issues."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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April 16, 2004