Kerry Wins New Hampshire As Dean's Rebound Falls Short
Clark, Edwards in Close Fight For Third; Lieberman Is Fifth
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 28, 2004; Page A01
MANCHESTER, N.H., Jan. 27 -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) scored a decisive victory in the New Hampshire presidential primary Tuesday night, easily defeating former Vermont governor Howard Dean in a state where the Massachusetts senator was virtually written off barely a month ago.
Kerry's comfortable margin in this hard-fought contest, his second win in eight days, established him as the candidate to beat in the battle for the Democratic nomination. He and his advisers planned a week-long blitz designed to convert his momentum from the first two contests of the year into success in the seven states with contests next Tuesday and those beyond.
Dean tried to mount a furious comeback in the final 72 hours here, scrambling to regroup after a disappointing third place in Iowa sent him spiraling downward in the Granite State. But his effort fell short in the end, leaving the Vermont Democrat still looking for a victory in a race in which he once was considered the front-runner as the race turns to less hospitable territory.
With most of the precincts reporting, Kerry was winning 39 percent of the vote to Dean's 26 percent. The Democratic race, which played to overflow crowds in the final week of campaigning, appeared likely to set a record for voter turnout.
Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who skipped Iowa to concentrate his efforts here, and Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), who captured second in Iowa, were battling for third place, with both at 12 percent. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) was running fifth with 9 percent. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) ran sixth, and Al Sharpton was seventh.
In the Republican primary, President Bush won comfortably against no serious opposition.
The Democratic race now moves from the intimacy of this New England state to a round of primaries next Tuesday that includes South Carolina, Missouri and Arizona, and which will have a significant impact on shaping the outcome of the nomination fight. Kerry is seeking to roll up delegates everywhere and victories where he can, his campaign advisers said, while his rivals pick their spots in an effort to slow his momentum and keep their candidacies alive.
An ebullient Kerry, surrounded by family and friends, appeared before cheering supporters to claim victory at a hotel in downtown Manchester. "I love New Hampshire, and I love Iowa, too," he said. "And I hope with your help to have the blessing and the opportunity to love a lot of other states in the days to come."
Kerry said he would use his candidacy to challenge Bush and the "influence peddlers, the polluters, the HMOs" and other corporations that he said had special access to the White House. "We're coming," he said. "You're going. And don't let the door hit you on the way out."
Vowing "I have only just begun to fight," Kerry will head Wednesday for Missouri, the state with the most delegates at stake on Feb. 3 and a wide-open contest since Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) quit the race after Iowa. He then will head to South Carolina, with trips planned to other states over the weekend.
Dean's rally was if anything even more enthusiastic, a college field house filled with cheering supporters from all over the country. "The people of New Hampshire have allowed our campaign to regain its momentum, and I am very grateful," Dean said. "The people of New Hampshire have allowed all of us to hope again that we're going to have real change in America."
Dean said the only way Democrats can defeat Bush "is to stand up to him all the time, not just when it's convenient," a reminder of his differences with Kerry, Edwards and Lieberman over the war in Iraq. As Dean closed out his concession speech, one less emotional but no less determined than the Iowa speech that drew criticism last week, he told his followers, "And we are going to win the nomination."
The other candidates sought to put the best face on their finishes. Edwards said his positive campaign had been affirmed by the results here and predicted that it would "captivate" voters in his native South and other regions.
Clark, who at one point was in second place here but who faded in the final week, said he would leave the state as "a smarter, better, stronger and even more determined candidate." Lieberman said his finish "put me in the ring" and vowed to continue with his campaign. |
