Kerry says 'Help is on the way'

BOSTON - Eight hours after his coronation at the Democratic convention, US presidential candidate John Kerry has hit the campaign trail on a cross-country road trip through battleground states to tell voters "help is on the way".

With running mate John Edwards by his side, the Massachusetts senator at an early morning rally thanked Boston, the city that nurtured his political career, for "a great show" and lamented his lack of sleep.

"Wasn't I just standing up in front of you a few minutes ago," he said.

Both candidates reprised the themes of their convention speeches with Kerry promising to "restore trust and credibility" to the White House and champion the middle class.

"Americans are playing by the rules while a whole group of people are writing rules for themselves and leaving the rest of America out of it," Kerry said. "We're going to change that around. Help is on the way."

With an optimistic "Believe in America" message and riding a wave of energy from four days in the spotlight, the newly minted Democratic ticket that will face President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the November 2 election set off in a fleet of behemoth blue buses for Pennsylvania on a 5,600 km, 21-state marathon by road, rail and boat.

The two-week journey, which will take the pair coast-to-coast, was reminiscent of President Harry Truman's legendary whistle-stop tour across America and a nod to Bill Clinton whose wildly successful post-convention bus trip in 1992 helped propel the Democrat to the White House.

But the road out of the convention has some potential potholes.

Bush, who remained out of sight for the past week at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, also set out on the campaign trail on Friday, visiting some of the same states - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Missouri - on his own "Heart and Soul of America" tour.

And, when Kerry accepted the nomination, he also accepted US$75 million (NZ$117 million) in public funds to spend for the general election. Bush receives his US$75 million when he accepts the Republican nomination on September 2, giving him an extra five weeks to keep raising and spending money.

A last-minute fundraising drive by the Kerry campaign brought in almost US$9 million in the past 48 hours, aides said.

Democrats hope the post-convention excitement, coupled with visits to almost every key state in play, will give Kerry the customary bounce in the polls. Republicans have tried to raise the bar, predicting he will get a 15-point gain.

Opinion surveys have shown Bush and Kerry running neck-and-neck. Republicans hope to counter any boost when they hold their own convention in New York next month.

Cheney, and other Republicans, have labelled Kerry and Edwards, a first-term senator from North Carolina, the "most liberal ticket in history" and accused them of attacking Bush despite their vow to hold an uplifting convention and Kerry's call for a positive campaign.

Edwards predicted the Democratic ticket would "ignite America."

"It is not just my cause, it is your cause, it is our cause, it is building a world, an America that all of us can be proud of," he told a "rock-the-vote" concert. "We need you, every one of you, your country needs you."

- REUTERS