July 14, 1963 - Kenneth O’Donnell (pictured), one of President Kennedy’s closest White House confidants, said today he expects Mr. Kennedy to win re-election — but only after “a very tough fight.” O’Donnell, an Administration troubleshooter who has the official title of Appointments Secretary, said Mr. Kennedy and his associates look forward to stiff Republican opposition in the 1964 Presidential campaign. “Hard fights are more fun,” O’Donnell said in an interview on ABC-TV. “You enjoy hard fights.” The longtime Kennedy aide said every Democratic President except Franklin D. Roosevelt “has had a very, very tough re-election campaign.” He said that Mr. Kennedy “looks for a hard fight — gladly.”
