Would-be first lady Teresa Heinz Kerry wasted no time on Friday plugging the company that made her a billionaire, in her first public comments since Democrats nominated her husband to be their standard-bearer the night before.
The Heinz Kerrys were dining with John and Elizabeth Edwards at a Wendy's in Newburgh, N.Y., when the quirky ketchup heiress told reporters that the dish she ordered was surprisingly good.
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"It's good chili," she announced. "It could even be made by Heinz."
Photos of the episode show Kerry, Edwards and Edwards' wife smiling as they toast the would-be second couple's 27th wedding anniversary with Wendy's sodas, while Mrs. Heinz Kerry looks on without joining in.
Officials with Heinz Foods frantically denied months ago that Mrs. Heinz Kerry has any role in company operations, noting that even her late husband, Sen. John Heinz, spent almost no time working in the family business.
But the Heinz Kerrys reportedly derive a significant portion of their income from Heinz Foods. In April, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly put the amount at "up to $20 million," a figure that wasn't challenged by his guest, Kerry campaign spokesman Steve Elmendorf.
Heinz Kerry continues to refuse to release her tax returns.
The Kerry-Edwards campaign hit another bump during its Wendy's visit when Sen. Kerry tried to engage four Marines who were seated nearby in conversation.
The Marines, stationed at nearby Stewart Air Force Base, replied tersely, then later complained to reporters that Kerry had "imposed" on their lunch to burnish his credentials as a friend of veterans.
"He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here and shaking our hands," one of the Marines told the New York Post. "I'm 100 percent against [him]."
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