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Kerry Strong In All 7 Races On Tuesday
Stern said his union is committed to helping Dean in Michigan, Washington and Maine, but warned: "I've said it's really hard if you don't win a state on Feb. 3 to continue. I said that before Iowa and New Hampshire, and it would be disingenuous now to change my mind."
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), who finished fifth in New Hampshire, also faces a gloomy Tuesday, with Delaware his only strong state.
All of Kerry's rivals know they need help from one another Tuesday. Collectively, they hope they can keep the front-runner's victories to a minimum and his delegate lead modest -- all with the goal of keeping the race open through the next several rounds of contests.
Tuesday offers the biggest cache of pledged delegates so far, but after Tuesday just 10 percent of the pledged delegates to summer's Democratic National Convention will have been chosen. Here is a state-by-state look at the upcoming contests:
South Carolina. The Palmetto State is a battle between Edwards and Kerry. Edwards, who finished second in Iowa and fourth in New Hampshire, is counting on a win here to help him emerge as Kerry's principal rival.
Kerry staged his formal announcement in the state in September, then abandoned it until winning Iowa and New Hampshire. But those victories, coupled with endorsements from Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D) and Rep. James E. Clyburn (D), the state's most influential African American politician and a former supporter of Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), have revived his candidacy here.
Edwards will campaign here the final two days, while Kerry will be elsewhere, but the Massachusetts senator is matching Edwards almost dollar-for-dollar on television. "I think he wants to try and stop us now rather than stop us later," said David Axelrod, Edwards's media adviser.
Clark spent about $2 million in the state before New Hampshire, according to a Kerry adviser, but is not a significant factor now, although Al Sharpton could be. African Americans are expected to make up more than 40 percent of the vote here Tuesday, and Sharpton has worked the black community hard for support.
Missouri. None of the candidates paid much attention to Missouri as long as Gephardt was in the race, but with 74 delegates at stake -- more than any other state on Tuesday -- and Gephardt out, it has suddenly become a big prize.
Since Gephardt's withdrawal, the state has swung decidedly toward Kerry, with recent polls giving him a commanding lead. Kerry has picked up key newspaper endorsements as well as the support of prominent party and elected officials who had been with Gephardt. "It feels like we've got great momentum," said Roy Temple, who is running the Kerry campaign there.
Edwards has worked the state's rural areas to good effect. Joe Carmichael, a former state Democratic Party chairman and an Edwards supporter, said the North Carolinian drew about 1,000 people at a rally in Springfield on Wednesday night. "It was the most energized event I have ever been at," he said.
Oklahoma. Clark advisers say Oklahoma appears to be the best prospect for a Clark victory. The retired general held a narrow lead in one poll and was in a dead heat with Kerry in another.
Although he has spent no time in the state until this weekend, Kerry could eke out a victory by consolidating the progressive vote, about a quarter of the electorate, and then hope that Clark, Edwards and Lieberman will divide the moderates and conservatives.
"Most Oklahomans feel pretty comfortable with General Clark and Senator Edwards," said state Democratic Chairman Jay Parmley. "They're from our neck of the woods. Howard Dean has great organization and staff but has not been on television. It would be my guess that the more progressives and liberals are moving toward Kerry." |
