Mr. Towns, who sat down shaking his head, told a reporter he had spoken with the center's director.

In fact, Mr. Towns has put much of his political prestige into this campaign.

Mr. Town turned away, leaned over to the counter, and picked up three keys.

"You still have two former friends running for the same office," Mr. Towns said.

Mr. Towns won that race easily and he appears just as confident about his prospects this year.

Mr. Towns said that at the urging of his staff, he would not accept money from tobacco companies this year.

Mr. Towns said that was the reason he had returned to active campaigning in neighborhoods.

Mr. Towns got 57 percent of the vote, considered a narrow victory for a longtime incumbent.

"I don't understand what difference it would make," Mr. Towns said today in an interview.

"We believe in equal rights, but there's just some times when you want to go to the game with the guys," Mr. Towns said.