Dean will endorse Edwards:
Dean says he favors Edwards
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Associated Press
Published on Thursday, February 12, 2004
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WASHINGTON -- It's not surprising that John Edwards says he would be a tougher opponent for President Bush than Democratic front-runner John Kerry. It raises eyebrows when Howard Dean says the same thing.
With the race's fourth major candidate, Wesley Clark, out of the race, Edwards and Dean are ganging up on Kerry, winner of 12 of the 14 nominating contests so far. Dean told CBS News in an interview that will air Wednesday night that he believes Edwards would be the better candidate in the general election, even though Kerry has the advantage right now.
"My fear is that he actually won't be the strongest Democratic candidate," Dean told the network.
Asked about Dean's comment, Edwards told reporters: "I agree with that. I think that he is a very wise man. ... The truth is that this campaign to bring about change is working with independents and voters that we will have to get in order to win the general election."
In his exit from the race Wednesday, Clark called on Democrats to continue fighting against Bush's "fatally flawed" foreign policy. "We must challenge George W. Bush on that foreign policy," Clark said.
Kerry is speeding toward the nomination, and Dean and Edwards are hoping to stop him after a showdown in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dean urged voters in Wisconsin's primary to stand up against Kerry and other Washington insiders who he said are trying to derail his candidacy. He said he would support the Democratic nominee, but Kerry would be the "lesser of two evils" in a race against President Bush.
Dean, once the race's high-flying front-runner, has gone winless while Kerry has captured 12 victories, including Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday.
Associated Press writers Ross Sneyd and Liz Sidoti contributed to this report from Wisconsin. |
