With election looming, it's crunch time for 18th Suffolk candidates

Mike Moran spent most of last week celebrating his victory in the Democratic primary, but in the coming weeks, he will have to hustle against Tom O'Brien and Dan Kontoff if he wants to convince 18th Suffolk District voters to send him to the State House on April 12.

The three state representative candidates will face off in a debate at Shaloh House at 29 Chestnut Hill Ave. on March 31 at 7 p.m.

A high voter turnout on April 12 could tip the race in any candidate's favor. Fewer than 25 percent of the 16,000-plus eligible Allston-Brighton voters cast a ballot in the March 15 primary. A healthy voter turnout in Brookline propelled Tim Schofield to a second-place finish in this month's primary.

Moran's 64-vote margin win in the primary was far from a landslide in the district. Moran did not win Brookline's one precinct or a single precinct in Allston. Only two Brighton precincts out of the seven gave Moran more than 50 percent of the vote.

Boston Republicans could also help cast the deciding votes. More than 1,500 are eligible to vote in the general election.

Although next month's special election is O'Brien's first run for office, he has been a familiar face among many Allston-Brighton community groups for the past year. O'Brien, a former Democrat turned unenrolled while serving as an assistant attorney general for the past 11 years, spent last year building a coalition of Allston and Brighton groups in his campaign to buy Our Lady of the Presentation School from the Boston Archdiocese and turn it into a nonprofit school and community center. In the course of that campaign, O'Brien worked with numerous neighborhood groups representing immigrant, adult education, neighborhood and civic interests.

Kontoff, the Green-Rainbow candidate, is known to many of his supporters as "The Bagel Man." He is a regular candidate for the Boston City Council seat from Allston-Brighton; he last lost to Jerry McDermott in 2003 and received only 18 percent of the vote. Kontoff, a self-described anti-war candidate, chooses to take on more national issues in his campaign.

Schofield threw his support to Moran, while Joe Walsh, who finished a distant fourth in the recent primary, said he would make an endorsement decision after speaking with each candidate. Greg Glennon, the third losing candidate, could not be reached for comment. A listing for his home phone number was disconnected last week. Hours after Glennon conceded the primary, he told the TAB he was unsure if he would endorse a candidate in the general election.