4th Congressional District Race Between Frank, Bielat Tight

NEW BEDFORD (CBS) -- 30-year veteran U.S. Representative Barney Frank eagerly but calmly urged supporters at a dockside rally in New Bedford not to stay away from the polls on Tuesday if they're turned-off by negative campaigning. 

He argued that's what Republicans want them to do and voting is their only defense.  "This will be, I think, the most important off-year election that we've had," he asserted through the P.A. system.

 
The 15-term Newton Democrat who chairs the U.S. House Financial Services Committee is relying heavily on out-of state donors. 

But Frank says national conservative groups are targeting him. 

Brookline businessman Sean Bielat, Frank's Republican opponent, has been focusing on national television appearances and raising a rapidly growing amount of out-of-state money. 

"We have to, unfortunately go outside the state.  We have to reach out to donors all over.  What we do find, though, is almost all of those donors are small donors," claimed Bielat.

"I haven't been monitoring his donations," said Frank adding, "I do know that the national Tea Party, anti-abortion groups and other very conservative groups have targeted me." 

Frank also said he wishes the Supreme Court of the United States, under conservative rule, had not destroyed the ability of Congress to regulate campaign financing, allowing anonymous and corporate donations that were not allowed in the past.
 
"That's the issue right there is the amount of money that's available to incumbents.  Barney Frank is the chairman of a powerful committee," said Bielat.  

With four days left before the election, Bielat was working in his headquarters and doing radio call-ins as Frank was engaging in retail politics on the south coast.
"The fishing industry, we've gotten some great victories here to help them.  Transportation, all the money went into the Big Dig and virtually none of it went into southeastern Massachusetts until some of us intervened to change that," said Frank.
 
"The problem is we have too many people in Washington who have never worked in the business world.  I've spent the past several years keeping people employed, helping to create jobs," said the G.O.P. challenger.
 
Bielat said his internal polls show he's the underdog.  Frank said he expects to win but prefers to talk issues rather than poll numbers.
 
"It's a three to five point race with all the trends in the right direction with all the momentum behind us so, like I said, we feel very good about where we are," said Bielat.

"That isn't what we show but I will leave the analysis to you and your profession," Frank told WBZ.

However close the race in the 4th Congressional District may be, the large amount of out-of-state money spent on both sides probably guarantees a growing national audience between now and Tuesday.