John Olver

After cruising to re-election Tuesday night, Congressman John Olver said he is looking forward to tackling the challenges facing the country with President-elect Barack Obama.

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, the Boston Globe has projected that Olver, an Amherst Democrat, has defeated West Springfield Republican Nathan Bech. Olver earned 73 percent of the vote.

Olver, who was first elected in 1991, said in a statement that he is "honored" to have been elected to Congress again and that he is looking forward to what the next Congress, with an expanded Democratic majority, will be able to accomplish.

"I am also very excited about the prospects for the 111th Congress," Olver said. "We have an historic opportunity to take the country in a new direction."

With the election just three days away, here is a breakdown of the races PolitickerMA.com is watching.

U.S. Senate: Republican challenger Jeff Beatty has been relentless in his attacks on U.S. Sen. John Kerry for, among other things, his 2002 vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq. Kerry, a Boston Democrat, has repeatedly parried those charges by pointing to the due diligence he did leading up to the vote, including a conversation with then Secretary of State Colin Powell, which he says was influential in his decision to vote for the resolution. Beatty has also been critical of Kerry's vote for the Wall Street bailout and has raised questions about Kerry's ties to insurance lender AIG. Kerry has been quick to rebut Beatty's charges though, and Beatty has yet to make a dent in Kerry's substantial lead (30+ points) in the polls. So much so, that Kerry is campaigning for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama in New Hampshire on Saturday and is appearing as a surrogate for Obama on Meet the Press this Sunday. Can Beatty earn more than the 31 percent Kerry's primary challenger, Ed O'Reilly, received? Is that 31 percent the anti-Kerry base?

Question 1: This ballot question, which once looked like it would be an exciting one to watch, could end up being a dud on Election Day. The Coalition for our Communities, the organization opposing the measure that would abolish the state income tax, has spent significantly more money (TV ads, radio ads, etc.) to defeat the measure than the Committee for Small Government, the organization behind the question, has spent on trying to get it passed. The most recent 7News/Suffolk University poll showed undecideds breaking against the measure, with 59 percent of respondents saying they oppose it, 26 percent saying they support it and 14 percent saying they are undecided. The supporters of the measure hope to capitalize on Bay State voters' discontent with Beacon Hill, which raises the question of how recent events could influence the vote. Will Gov. Deval Patrick's recent budget cuts help or hurt this question's chances? Could state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson's arrest on corruption charges sour voters opinion of Beacon Hill to the point where they no longer trust the state government with their tax dollars?

In his second TV ad, Republican challenger Nathan Bech criticizes Congressman John Olver for not working for the families of Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District.

"Gas prices are high, home heating bills are through the roof, unemployment is soaring and as you can see, the economy is not doing so well," Bech says. "John Olver has spent 17 years in Washington claiming to work for Massachusetts families, but he just voted for an $850 bailout laden with pork-- including 397 million dollars for Hollywood. How does his supporting his pals in Hollywood, help Holyoke?  I want to go to Congress to work for you."

Bech, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been very critical of Olver's tenure in Congress throughout his campaign. While little polling has been done on the race, Bech has struggled to keep pace with Olver financially. Bech finished the Oct. 15 filing period with nearly $5,000 in his campaign bank account compared to Olver's $158,000 war chest, according to their Federal Election Commission reports. Bech has also reported a campaign debt of nearly $63,000.

The Bech campaign declined to comment on the size of the ad buy but said that the commercial is running on cable networks in the district.

Check out the ad below.

Nathan Bech, the West Springfield Republican challenging Congressman John Olver, launched the first of two ads Tuesday.

The ad stresses change, a common message in this year's election cycle.

"I've been a small business owner and I've proudly served my country in the US Army," Bech says. "Now, I'm running for Congress because it's time we had someone in Washington who represents us. Families are hurting and times are tough. I want to stimulate our economy and develop real energy solutions. We've had 17 years of the same Washington establishment; we cannot continue to go down this road.  Send real change to Washington."

The Bech campaign declined to comment on the size of the ad buy but said that the commercial is running on cable networks in the district.

Check out the ad below.

Congressman John Olver is running a second TV ad that emphasizes his work increasing veterans healthcare and college financial aid, developing renewable energy and fighting home foreclosure.

Olver, an Amherst Democrat, is being challenged this year by West Springfield Republican Nathan Bech.

"To me public service is about helping people, an opportunity to do what's right and improve the lives of Massachusetts families," Olver says in the ad. "I helped pass the largest increase in veterans' healthcare in history and the biggest increase in financial aid in over 60 years. I also helped protect families from foreclosure. Now I'm fighting to cut the cost of home heating oil by cracking down on oil speculators and developing renewable energy."

The Olver campaign said it plans to run the commercial through Election Day next Tuesday.

Check out the ad below. Olver's first ad is available here.

UPDATED: In his first of two planned tv ads this cycle, Congressman John Olver stresses his travels across the Bay State's large 1st Congressional District to the tune of "I've been Everywhere."

The ad begins with Olver sitting with a guitar. "I'm John Olver," the Amherst Democrat says, "and I approve this ad so voters from Adams to Ware will know that I've been everywhere."

The song in the ad is adopted to reflect the many cities and towns in the 1st District. The ad shows clips of Olver travelling through as the names of cities and towns are listed.

Olver is currently being challenged by West Springfield Republican Nathan Bech.

Check out the ad below. More after the jump.

Congressman John Olver is going into the election with a large cash-on-hand advantage over Republican challenger Nathan Bech, according to the candidates' 3rd Quarter Federal Election Commission reports.

U.S. Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst)Olver, an Amherst Democrat, raked in $98,000 in the 3rd Quarter and finished with $157,000 in his bank account. Bech finished the quarter having raised $17,000 and having just $8,600 in his campaign coffer.

Bech has also loaned his campaign nearly $63,000 during this election cycle and has yet to pay himself back.

Olver spent more than $137,000 during the quarter, most of which went toward a media buy. He paid a Washington, D.C., media shop nearly $31,000 to produce ads and spent $76,000 purchasing airtime for them.

John Olver's campaign said this week that the congressman is busy campaigning through Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District and is preparing for three debates with Republican challenger Nathan Bech.

U.S. Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst)In a statement submitted to PolitickerMA.com, Debra Guachione, Olver's campaign manager, said the campaign is "busy getting organized for the upcoming election" and finalizing a debate schedule with Bech.

"We are in the process of scheduling debates with our general election opponent, Nathan Bech," Guachione said. "We anticipate participating in three debates in various regions and in a variety of debate settings so that voters from throughout the 1st District will have an opportunity to hear the differences between both candidates and make a choice in November."

Republican Nathan Bech's campaign said Wednesday that it has postponed U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter's visit to the Bay State's 1st Congressional District.

Bech, of West Springfield, announced at the end of September that Hunter, a California Republican and 2008 presidential candidate, would be campaigning on his behalf next Wednesday.

Due to scheduling conflicts, however, Bech's campaign had to postpone the event and is working with Hunter's office to reschedule.

Bech is challenging Congressman John Olver (D-Amherst) this year.

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter will campaign for Republican congressional candidate Nathan Bech in western Massachusetts, Bech's campaign announced Thursday.

Nathan Bech (R-West Springfield)The Bech (R-West Springfield) campaign said the visit will take place on October 15. Hunter (R-Calif.), is retiring this year and his son, Duncan Duane Hunter, is running for his seat. Hunter's son and Bech are both Iraq veterans who are running for Congress.

"Congressman Hunter's visit further proves the point that this is one of the top races to watch for an upset," Bech's spokesman Brian Murphy said in the statement. "The incumbent is unresponsive and the people are ready for new blood."

Bech is challenging Congressman John Olver (D-Amherst) in the Bay State's 1st Congressional District this year.