SalemNews.com : Blogs : The Full Nelson

Congressman John Tierney has a number of prominent Democrats on the North Shore impatiently sitting on their hands as he decides whether to take out papers for Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat.
Even some of the Salem Democrat’s closest friends concede he would be a long shot and could do himself more harm than good by jumping into the fray. But he’s apparently giving it serious thought. One source told me he’d even sounded out Jason Silva, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll’s highly-regarded administrative assistant, as to whether he would be interested in managing the campaign.
Still, Tierney had better decide soon. If he’s not running, local Democrats are anxious to get on board with those who are.
Despite his liberal leanings (see Nancy Pelosi) in a district considered a Republican bastion not so long ago, Tierney has had one walkover after another in recent elections.
But there may be a sign of potential trouble in a recent Rasmussen poll on the various congressmen considering a run for Kennedy’s seat.
Most, including Tierney, are relatively unknown statewide. But among those who have an opinion, only Tierney gets more unfavorable reviews (29 percent) than favorable (27 percent.).