E-Mail This Article to a Friend STRETCH DRIVE On the hustings in the 12th Suffolk BY ADAM REILLY

The candidates in the 12th Suffolk race — who are vying to succeed Tom Finneran in what may be Boston’s most diverse State House district (see "The New Bostonians," News and Features, December 10, 2004) — had a busy night Tuesday, starting with a community forum in Milton and then shuttling to a debate at St. Brendan’s, in Dorchester. Some observations:

Emmanuel Bellegarde was dishonest on gay marriage. In Dorchester, Kerby Roberson accused Bellegarde — who’s been identified as both a gay-marriage supporter and opponent — of wavering on the issue. First, Bellegarde tried a Romney-esque dodge: "It wasn’t a change," he said of his shift. "It was a clarification." Then he blamed the media: "We tell reporters one thing, and they write another." Then he finally admitted Roberson was right: "What happened was, I said I was for it — but at the end of the day, I have to live with myself." Why not skip answers 1 and 2?

Eric Donovan doesn’t like Linda Dorcena Forry. At St. Brendan’s, Donovan mocked Dorcena Forry’s insistence on speaking as if the job is already hers. "Did I miss the election?" he quipped. Dorcena Forry tried to laugh off the jibe but misspoke, telling Donovan he knew the "campaign" was on March 15. (She meant the primary.) Donovan pounced. "I thought it was going on for the last six months," he muttered. It was an awkward moment.

Gay-marriage supporters have two good candidates. Two months ago, Dorcena Forry’s support of gay marriage was clear but not emphatic. Now she’s admirably aggressive on the issue. Stacey Monahan is just as forceful, if not more so. "I believe that as a lawmaker, your job is to protect the rights of everyone you represent," Monahan said in Milton. Hear, hear.

Dorcena Forry may be too New Agey. Dorcena Forry’s fondness for happy platitudes is dangerous. She wants to create a "new partnership." She thinks "it’s about partnerships and relationships." She wants to "work to bring people together." Sounds great. What does it mean?

The race is too close to call. By now, the candidates’ political personae are fully formed. Monahan is the progressive who’ll deliver constituent services and steer clear of special interests. (Last night, she pledged not to accept contributions from health-care or pharmaceutical lobbyists.) Dorcena Forry is the progressive who’ll bring people together (see above). Bellegarde is the straight-talking iconoclast (except on gay marriage; see above). Donovan is the State House veteran and former prosecutor who’ll crack down on crime and put gay marriage to a vote. And Roberson is that older guy from Milton who backs drug re-importation from Canada and opposes gay marriage, but isn’t against gay people or anything.

Their sales pitches are clear, but which one will attract the most voters is not. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Roberson wins, but how the other four will divvy up the vote on March 15 is anybody’s guess. Expect an interesting night.