A unified and determined Democratic Party opened its national convention tonight, with an all-star line-up headed by former President Bill Clinton that aimed to put the spotlight on White House hopeful Mr John Kerry and his message to voters.
The convention was gaveled to order by Mr Terry McAuliffe, party chairman, on a night when Mr Clinton, former President Mr Jimmy Carter and former Vice President Mr Al Gore will be among the speakers laying out the themes for the Democrats' November election battle with President George W. Bush.
They will highlight Mr Kerry's proposals to create jobs, provide affordable health care and rebuild foreign alliances as Democrats strive to introduce Mr Kerry to undecided voters who may just be tuning into the presidential race.
Mr Kerry, on a six-day cross-country campaign swing before arriving in Boston on Wednesday, told a town hall meeting in Cape Canaveral, Florida, home of the Kennedy Space Center, that the trip was "my journey of a lifetime."
"I'm here today, on the first day of the Democratic convention, because there's no better place to launch something than Cape Canaveral," the four-term Massachusetts senator said.
Democrats plan to use the Boston gathering to showcase the life of the decorated Vietnam War veteran, which they hope will burnish his credentials as a decisive leader and soften the image of the sometimes wooden campaigner.
Driven by an intense anti-Bush fervor, the usually fractious party has put aside its differences to rally around Mr Kerry. With polls showing him in a tie or slightly ahead of Mr Bush, Democrats say they are in a stronger position at this stage than any presidential challenger since Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.
"There's a great sense of unanimity here," said civil rights leader Rev Jesse Jackson.
Mr Kerry made a surprise trip to Boston on Sunday to throw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees baseball game. He immediately returned to the campaign trail and will be back in Boston to accept the nomination in a televised speech on Thursday.