Today, Niki Tsongas is running against a Republican in that old congressional district, a Republican who, once again, has the support of the national smear-and-fear machine of the Republican Party and a President desperate to defeat any and all opponents of his war policy.

They’re trotting out the tried and true tactics of distract, divide, and distort — trying to muddy the waters on Iraq, and smearing the integrity of Niki Tsongas.

But Niki is standing up to them and calling with a clear voice for an end to the Bush policies of the last seven years. She’ll be a strong ally of ours in the fight to get a new course in Iraq, while her opponent will side with Bush. No wonder the national Republicans are getting in on the act.

Patrick Ruffini, Bush-Cheney '04 Internet Director, has begun to try to rally the “right roots,” as they like to call themselves, to the cause of Niki’s opponent.

They want to create a moment for Republicans, like you have created for Democrats a number of times — a surprise showing (even a surprisingly close loss) that can energize the national Republicans and give that party some small spark of hope.

Don’t let them.

Instead, please help Niki remind them that they are on the wrong side of history. You can contribute to Niki's campaign by visiting the ActBlue page I set up for her here. (And, if you are in Massachusetts or close by in Southern New Hampshire and want to get involved with her campaign, they could really use the volunteers — you can go to her website to sign up to help.)

Remember what I learned in Lowell: no race is in the bag till the votes are counted. And we can’t give the Roadblock Republicans and their favorite mouthpieces on the right any room to find vindication anywhere — especially not now, and especially not in Massachusetts.

UPDATE: For additional information on Niki Tsongas and the upcoming elections in Massachusett's 5th District, here are some followup links that have been suggested by visitors to the blog:

The Lowell Sun newspaper has a special section on the 5th District races

The BlueMassGroup blog covers 5th District politics

The Left In Lowell blog covers 5th District politics

Lowell-based blogger Richard Howe covers 5th District politics

A video biography of Niki Tsongas is posted on YouTube

and MA residents outside the 5th District can support Niki by phonebanking for her through MassDems.org