Jeff Perry, Republican candidate for the 10th congressional district, knows his script. When he talks about health care, for example, he usually uses the preferred pejorative term of his party: Obamacare.

But he puts the lines together well, and now he is an even-money chance to take the district long held by Democrats.

There are candidates of both parties who regurgitate the scripted talking points whole, but not Jeff Perry.

He touches on the various hot issues — immigration, health care, energy policy — but in a way which makes linkages.

Ask him what he will do for the Vineyard if he is elected, and he neatly ties all the central issues to one theme.

“Whatever the issue in this election, it always goes back to jobs,” he said.

“If it’s Cape Wind we’re talking about, it’s about how that could negatively affect our economy. If you’re talking health care it’s about small businesses, which Martha’s Vineyard is just full of. If it comes to immigration the contractors, especially the blue-collar contractors, the tradesmen, are talking about how they’re going to compete with people not playing by the same rules, hiring illegal immigrants.

“Whatever the issue is this year, there is a common theme, and that is financial, and it is how it impacts people’s ability to have a job, find a job or hire people,” he said.

Ask Mr. Perry for more detail and he gives it fluently. The party talking points are in there, but wrapped in a narrative and tailored to local realities.

On health care, for example, he does not talk like his fellow conservative candidates in other parts of the country. He does not talk about repeal, he does not rage about socialism or the prospect of plunging standards of health care. In a state where Republicans tend more to the old-style fiscal conservatism, and where people have a unique experience of the effects of the health care changes, he zeroes in on cost.

“I’m not in favor of the federal health care takeover bill, known as Obama-care,” he said.

“I was one of two state legislators back in ’06 to vote against the bill put by Governor Romney. I voted against it because it didn’t have any cost-side reforms. And the federal bill doesn’t have any cost-side reforms, either.

“It’s certainly well-intentioned and it has some good points. But when I talk to people they’re not complaining about the quality of their health care . . . they’re complaining about the cost side,” he said.

He rattles off the expected litany of changes he would support: tort reform, standardization of records, reduced administrative costs on doctors and nurses, allowing the purchase of health care across state lines, group purchase.

Besides, he said, the prospects of repeal are remote, unless, of course, the courts find it unconstitutional.

“Even if we are able to take back the House, we probably won’t take back the Senate. And even if we did, President Obama is still there and he’s not going to sign a repeal,” he said.

“No matter what one thinks about the constitutionality of the bill, the next Congress needs to work on the cost side.”

Given that the 10th district is far from the Republican heartland, Mr. Perry makes a point, too, of running not only against the current Democratic administration, but when the chance presents, against the previous Bush administration too.

Immigration is an example.

“Immigration reform needs to be comprehensive,” he said. “First, secure the border, something which didn’t happen under either Bush or Obama. We need that for reasons of security, drug trafficking, economic reasons.”

He enumerates other points: punishing employers who are taking advantage of illegal immigrants, fixing the criminal justice system so immigration authorities take action to deport illegals who have come before the courts on criminal matters.

“Then, and this is something I’ve worked on at the state house, comes ensuring illegal immigrants never get access to social entitlements and benefits such as welfare, housing, higher education,” he said.

Finally, and just as important he said, is fixing the system for how people come to the United States [legally]. “Because if you’re in another country and you’re told that applying through the legal process will be very expensive and take a very long time, it encourages some folks to just come here illegally and figure it out later,” he said.

As for Cape Wind, he remains staunchly opposed, although he concedes there is probably little that he, if he becomes a member of Congress, can do about it.

“It’s a big issue because my opponent Mr. Keating and I have opposite views. I think it’s bad for tourism, bad for the cost of electricity, bad for fishing. Bad.

“But it seems the final battle will be in the courts. All the next member of Congress can do is express concern, such as Senator Kennedy did, for his constituents, to try to drive the discussion, and see if there are ways along the path to interfere with its implementation.

“But members of Congress are probably never going to vote on this,” he said.

Apart from the policy issues in this campaign, of course, is the issue of the tone of the campaign — surely the most negative anyone — including the outgoing Democrat, William Delahunt — can remember.

Mr. Perry has been dogged in particular about criticism of his behavior during his former time as a police officer, when he allegedly did nothing to stop a fellow officer assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 1991.

He has denied wrongdoing, and sought, in talking to the Gazette, to portray himself as the candidate running the clean campaign.

“I am very disappointed by the negative tone of Keating and the people who support him,” he said. “His TV ads are 100 per cent negative, at least a dozen mailings I’ve seen are also negative, including gross misrepresentations about my time as a police officer in Wareham.

“We’ve run a real positive, issues-based campaign. We avoided the mud-slinging. I’ve chosen in my campaign not to run negative.” He drew a distinction between attacking an opponent’s record and his character.

Any nasty stuff about Mr. Keating, he said, was either generated by the news media or outside political “groups in there that neither Mr. Keating nor I can control.”

As the race comes down to its final days, Mr. Perry said he is “thrilled” by the way it’s going.

He cited finances — $1.2 million raised from donors mostly in the district — an energized group of supporters, high-profile help from the likes of Scott Brown and Mitt Romney, and polls which showed him even with his Democratic opponent, with 15 per cent of voters still undecided.

And he cited the dire economic situation of the country.

“Certainly it’s better being a Republican this year than most years,” he said.

“It’s a good time to be the party that’s not in power.”

An interview with Bill Keating which appeared in the Oct. 8 Gazette can be read at mvgazette.com.