Last week, a SurveyUSA/WBZ poll out of Boston caused a minor earthquake in the Massachusetts political universe. The race to replace liberal Congressman Marty Meehan was supposed to be a sleepy affair leading to a walk-in-the-park victory for Democrat Niki Tsongas, the well-known wife of the late Senator Paul Tsongas. So it came as quite a surprise when the poll showed Republican Jim Ogonowski, a farmer and veteran from the Merrimack Valley, within 10 points of Tsongas. Tsongas polled just 51 percent to Ogonowski's 41 percent.

In any political environment, a win by Ogonowski on October 16th would be considered a stunning upset. Massachusetts has not sent a Republican to Congress in more than a decade. And though the district is relatively conservative by Massachusetts standards (if the Bay State ever sends a Republican to Washington, it will happen first here), Ogonowski had not been given much of a shot by the political classes. With the fallout from Iraq and 2006 continuing to take its toll on Washington Republicans, a win or close call by Ogonowski would signal that the political winds are gusting against the 11% approval Democrat-controlled Congress.

Watch Ogonowki's first TV ad, and you'll see that this is no fluke. The man has as compelling a biography as any I've seen in politics: a 28-year veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard, a family that goes back in the district over 100 years, and a connection to September 11th that first brought him to the attention of Massachusetts and the nation.

On that day, Jim's brother John Ogonowski was the pilot of hijacked American Airlines Flight 11. Jim Ogonowski would speak on national television that afternoon. After the tragedy, Ogonowski took over his brother's family farm, which he runs to this day. Today, Ogonowski says he's running in large part because of what changed that day.

Starting this week, a group of conservative bloggers are banding together to support Ogonowski'scome-from-behind bid. Using Rightroots, a grassroots fundraising site for Republicans (which I advise), we are calling the blogosphere's attention to the remarkable opportunity we have in Massachusetts' 5th district. Blog readers can support Ogonowski's candidacy with a contribution -- and if they live nearby, with their volunteer time. So far, 41 people have contributed a total of $2,007 (a propitious number) -- and we're aiming for 100 donors in the first week.

A look at the latest FEC numbers shows the critical importance of helping candidates like Ogonowski close the fundraising gap. Ogonowski has raised over $200,000 for his bid, and had $130,488 on hand at the end of the last reporting period. But Niki Tsongas had raised $1.2 million, spending over $700,000 in the primary, for a cash-on-hand total of $494,377. Despite Tsongas' massive 7-to-1 spending advantage, and a nearly 4-to-1 advantage in cash, Ogonowski has closed the gap to 10 points in a district that hasn't been represented by a Republican in 35 years. Republicans won't need to match Tsongas and her liberal Boston money dollar-for-dollar -- but we do need to be on guard to ensure that Ogonowski won't be obliterated by last-minute MoveOn style attacks. If you watch the TV ads, you'll see that Ogonowski has a compelling message -- and now he just needs the resources to get it across.

Democrats are already running scared. Bill Clinton is being sent on a rescue mission to help Tsongas's campaign on September 30th. And earlier in the month, eyebrows were raised by the Corner Office when Gov. Deval Patrick failed to invite Ogonowskito speak at the state's official remembrance of 9/11 -- which he has done on every anniversary since the attacks. Speaking in Ogonowski's place: the Democrat he is running to replace, Marty Meehan.

It should be noted that Ogonowski is not a perfect conservative. He didn't favor the initial overthrow of Saddam Hussein, though he opposes a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq -- the key question today. It's clear that if he were running for a Congressional seat in Idaho, or even Ohio, he would not be conservatives' first choice. He is not a perfect candidate -- but he is a very good one, and the best we will see out of Massachusetts. Ogonowski is exactly the kind of Republican we need to be building alliances with to throw Democrats off their game in the bluest of blue states. Most importantly, an Ogonowski upset would send a message about the failed Democrat-controlled Congress from sea to shining sea.

D.C. blogger Brian Faughnan put it best when he wrote this week:

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