Republican challenger Jeff Beatty said Thursday that he is looking forward to his first debate against John Kerry, but he portrayed himself as the underdog in the fight.

[img_assist|nid=168|title=Jeff Beatty (R-Harwich)|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=99|height=180]After weeks of negotiations, Beatty and Kerry are set to meet in their first of two debates Monday night on NECN's NewsNight.

The Harwich Republican told PolitickerMA.com that he is looking forward to the debate and that he expects it to draw high ratings despite the New England Patriots Monday Night Football game starting halfway through the contest.

"I think it's going to be tremendous," the Harwich Republican said. "We're going to be the most watched station I'm sure that night."

More than anything else, Beatty said he was looking forward to deliver his message to a large audience. "People will finally realize, ‘Hey, we have got to change our future,'" he said.

Beatty also took a moment to set expectations for the event. "Kerry is a skilled debater," Beatty said. "He's done this many times for this office and for higher office. We just want to have a discussion of the issues."