Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey is stumping hard this weekend in an effort to turn around her foundering gubernatorial campaign -- some polls have her trailing Democrat Deval L. Patrick by more than 20 points. And her slide into irrelevance happened just as she seemed to be gaining some traction in the polls. . . and when she launched a slate of grotesque, Willie Hortonesque campaign ads that questioned Patrick's judgment. When she sent a team of volunteers dressed in orange prison-like garb to demonstrate in front of the homes of Patrick and his campaign manager, John Walsh -- frightening Walsh's 12-year-old son along the way -- voters seemed to tune her out for good.
All of which has allowed Patrick to keep a low-profile this weekend and wait it out, canceling some stump appearances with John Kerry. And that certainly seems to suggest he's got perfectly good judgment.
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