Democratic Sen. John Kerry on Saturday rejected charges his votes in the U.S. Senate were influenced by campaign contributions, saying he had spent his whole career battling special interests.

Speaking to reporters after accepting the endorsement of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Kerry said he would put his record up against any of the Democratic candidates seeking the chance to run against President Bush in November.

Michigan holds a primary next Saturday. Kerry is now making a seven-state campaign swing in advance of the Democratic contests on Tuesday.

But the reports that he had accepted thousands of dollars in contributions from lobbyists dogged him through the day, which he began in Missouri before a boisterous rally, launching his own attack on Bush for allowing “lobbyists and special interests” to influence White House policy.

Criticizing Kerry, Dean told reporters in Tucson: “It turns out we’ve got more than one Republican in the Democratic race. I’ve already said I thought (retired Gen.) Wes Clark was a Republican and now apparently John Kerry has the same financing habits.”