He won re-election in 1990, propelled by an adoring base of blue-collar ethnic voters and city workers.

"Kerry couldn't communicate with the basic blue-collar Democratic voter, even though they should have been inclined to be for him."

He is bidding for the support of blue-collar voters by stressing his economic ideas.

To Republicans, the situation is reminiscent of the 1980's debate over welfare in which Democrats alienated their blue-collar voters.

He described himself as best able to win blue-collar voters from Barack Obama in the November general election.

A lot of the blue-collar, red-neck voters have been stripped out by the Republicans.

White male blue-collar voters backed Republicans over Democrats by two to one in the 1992 and 1994 elections.

Throughout the primary campaign, field operatives had told him that blue-collar, white-ethnic voters could be reached on the issue of "moral decline."

At the same time, he might not necessarily mobilize blue-collar voters, since polls show them to be far more concerned this year with economics.

Here, as there, he seems to be connecting best with rural and blue-collar voters.