US death penalty opponents hope that Democrat John Kerry, a former prosecutor...

US death penalty opponents hope that Democrat John Kerry, a former prosecutor who opposes executions, wins the presidency from George W. Bush, who strongly supports the death penalty. 
Anti-death penalty groups do not officially endorse any candidate. But "obviously, there is a difference between the 2 on the issue," said Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
The issue seems almost absent from this year's campaign. It was not mentioned once during the 3 closely watched presidential debates these last weeks.
Steve Hall, director of the Stand Down Texas project, which advocates a moratorium on executions in the southwestern state, is not surprised that neither candidate has mentioned capital punishment on the campaign trail.
Only one question was posed on the topic during presidential debates four years ago, he recalled.
"The issue does not hold a lot of interest for most voters. Most people don't reflect much about it, they think it won't ever affect them and are happy with the status quo that it is available," he said.
His group is not endorsing either candidate, but "clearly Kerry's view mirrors our view”.
"He has been a prosecutor, knows how tough these cases are and appreciates the irreversibility of the death penalty”.
Kerry is now making an exception in the case of terrorists, a move that is "mostly political pandering," according to Hall.