Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry formally accepts his party’s nomination tonight in Boston, and Iowans helped bring Kerry to this moment. At this time last year, Kerry was behind in the polls and all the buzz was about Howard Dean. But Kerry hired new staff and by the end of December had plowed lots of money and spent lots of time in Iowa. In the days leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, crowds at his events grew larger and larger. “This campaign is moving and it’s moving thanks to all of you,” Kerry told Iowans on the eve of the Caucuses. “It’s moving thanks to the great independence of Iowans who listen, work at this, who struggle hard to make a decision between good candidates and to try to find that person that you believe you can trust.” Then, Kerry scored a surprising victory on Caucus Night that cemented him as the front-runner. “Iowa, I love you,” Kerry said to cheers at a Caucus-night gathering in downtown Des Moines. Now, here in Boston, Kerry is still paying tribute to Iowans as he now seeks to carry the state in November. Tonight, a couple from Muscatine County who volunteered for Kerry’s Caucus campaign will sit with in the section reserved for Kerry’s family and special guests. Tom Furlong is a veteran; his wife, Becky, a school administrator, and they are two of the five people Kerry will single out tonight as people who inspired him during his race for the White House.
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