[img_assist|nid=427|title=U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Boston) campaigning in Framingham earlier this year|desc=Politicker Photo|link=none|align=left|width=400|height=300]UPDATED: Coming off his primary win against challenger Ed O'Reilly, U.S. Sen. John Kerry's re-election campaign was immediately faced with several charges from his next challenger, Harwich Republican Jeff Beatty.

Beatty called on Kerry to return campaign contributions he had received from employees of embattled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He also criticized the Boston Democrat for his stock holdings of bailed out insurance company AIG.

The Kerry camp responded in kind, firing back at Beatty for consulting on a violent video game and his company receiving a no-bid contract from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

But the rapid exchange of attacks and Beatty's willingness to take swings at Kerry left several analysts wondering if the senator needed to respond to Beatty at all. Beatty, their reasoning goes, is underfunded, relatively unknown and trailing Kerry in a recent poll by 35 points.

So, PolitickerMA.com asked those analysts how Kerry should conduct his re-election campaign against the former CIA operative. Their answers were mixed, but most, including Republican analysts, suggested that Kerry doesn't need to do much to coast to re-election.

"The media will treat Jeff Beatty the way they treated Ed O'Reilly-a minor but useful prod to keep John Kerry's ego in check and make him work a little harder for his constituents," said Dorie Clark, a Somerville Democratic strategist. "If I were Kerry, I'd spend more time than usual politicking in Massachusetts, but it's also fine to hit the stump for Obama. Most Massachusetts Democrats would probably agree that's the best use of his time over the next six weeks."

One Bay State GOP operative, who requested anonymity because he didn't want to go on the record against his party's nominee, echoed Clark.

"All Kerry has to do is hold a few smaller scale campaign events around the state, not engage Beatty and let his TV ads do the work and he'll be home free," the operative said. "I don't think Beatty has really met the test where the media would torture Kerry for either not debating at all, or for debating on a Saturday night on some cable access station."

"The only real suspense in this race," the operative added, "is whether Kerry will crack the 70 percent threshold."

Several analysts also noted that in addition to his cash and polling advantages, Kerry will also benefit from the presidential election on Nov. 4. The expected high turnout will surely favor Kerry, who, at this point, is far more well-known than Beatty. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 32 percent of 500 likely voters did not know whether they viewed Beatty favorably or unfavorably.

Dennis Hale, a political scientist at Boston College, was equally blunt. Kerry, he said, "is in a position to safely ignore Beatty."

However, other Democratic strategists, including Steven Grossman, a Boston Democratic strategist and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Kerry should actively campaign. Grossman said Kerry should spend a lot of time in the Bay State leading up the election not because Beatty poses a significant challenge, but because voters will be looking to his leadership during the current financial crisis.

"Given the fact that he has an opponent, he needs to be sure he doesn't allow [Beatty] to write all over a blank slate," Grossman said. "He has to be very clear as to what he stands for. He needs to let people know what he is doing during times of economic uncertainty to help the people of Massachusetts...When things are in crisis, that's the time when people want their leaders close by and here at home."

Michael Shea, another Boston Democratic strategist, agreed. With the constant speculation that Kerry is eyeing a job in an Obama administration, Shea said, "Kerry does need to show he is still interested and engaged in the job of U.S. Senator, and thus must campaign actively in the weeks ahead."

Shea also noted that Kerry, perhaps more than anyone else following the Swift Boat attacks of 2004, knows the necessity of striking back when attacked.

"He has also learned, the hard way, that even the most ridiculous and unbelievable charges must be answered quickly and forcefully," Shea said.

Shea also said that Kerry should debate Beatty "at least once, preferably during a Red Sox playoff game or a presidential debate."

Paul Watanabe, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, was equally direct, though he came down on the opposite side of the question.

"Doe she need to debate?" he asked. "No."

UPDATE, Wednesday, 4:40 P.M.: Shea added the following: '"Kerry doesn't need to debate to win, he needs to debate so that it does not become an issue that his opponent can drive in the media."

UPDATE, Wednesday, 4:51 P.M.: Dan Payne, a Boston Democratic strategist, added that Kerry should focus his Senate campaign and his work on behalf of Obama on veterans issues.

"Kerry should work with veterans groups, reminding them of [Repubican Presidential candidate John] McCain's votes against vets," he said. "McCain has voted repeatedly against increases in funding for veterans health services and in favor of privatizing them, when the VA is considered a model of efficiency in the public health system. In 2006 McCain voted to kill an amendment that would have improved veterans medical care by $2.8 billion. It takes guts to call McCain out on veterans' issues. Kerry has the standing to do it."