LIBERTARIAN TO CHALLENGE KENNEDY

WAYLAND, Mass. (AP) -- Barring a last-minute Republican miracle, a
Libertarian candidate could be the toughest competition Sen. Edward
Kennedy faces in November.

The challenge would come from Carla Howell, a 44-year-old health care
consultant who wants to kill the federal income tax, abolish the U.S.
Department of Education and counts marijuana smokers among her most
ardent supporters.

Howell already is her party's standard-bearer in Massachusetts. In her
1998 run for auditor, she won 6 percent of the vote, guaranteeing the
party official status.

``We are a fast-growing party that is gaining strength rather than the
two dinosaur parties who are losing people,'' Howell said Tuesday.
Political analysts say Howell's chance of victory is extremely remote
- -- she's taking on not only a scion of the nation's most famous
political family, but arguably the most powerful politician in
Massachusetts. Even if she fails, she could make history simply by
propelling her party into the political spotlight. For that, she can
thank the Massachusetts Republican Party.

By failing to field their own candidate, the GOP has raised Howell's
status from obscure third party candidate to Kennedy's most viable
opposition. The sole Republican still in the race, Jack E. Robinson,
appears to be falling short of the 10,000 signatures needed to get on
the ballot. Robinson said he filed 13,000 signatures, but by the end
of Tuesday, only 9,066 had been certified.

Already, some Republican activists are giving Howell a closer look.
``I would lean toward the Libertarian candidate and I think a lot of
other Republicans would do the same,'' said state Rep. John Locke of
Wellesley. ``What's the alternative? Either vote for the sitting
senator or blank the ballot.'' Howell already has cobbled together a
coalition of anti-tax activists, gun rights supporters and backers of
liberalized marijuana laws. While their pet issues vary, her
supporters share a passionate belief that ``small government is
beautiful,'' Howell said.

Under Howell's vision, the federal government would be responsible for
little else than the defense of American soil. Virtually every other
program and policy would be abandoned, leaving a government so
inexpensive that no American would have to pay personal income taxes,
according to Howell. So far, Kennedy has said little about Howell's
candidacy. His campaign war chest of more than $4.9 million dwarfs
Howell's $138,800. ``Senator Kennedy runs for the office of United
States senator and not against an opponent,'' said Kennedy spokesman
Will Keyser.