Democratic Party Chairman Says Nominee 'Close'
Email this story
Feb 29, 10:27 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic Party is "very close" to having a nominee to take on President Bush, the national chairman said on Sunday.
Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, did not mention the nominee by name but said it was important he be tapped in short order so the national party can begin running ads to counter a massive Republican effort slated to begin next week.
"Clearly we need, at some point in the near future, we need to have a nominee of the Democratic Party because as you read in the newspaper the Bush-Cheney campaign is going up March 4 with a massive media buy," McAuliffe said on "Fox News Sunday."
"I'm not allowed as the national party to begin to do our media until we have a nominee. So until that happens we will not be up on the air," he said.
With front-runner Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts poised to do well on Tuesday, when 10 states will hold pivotal primaries and caucuses, McAuliffe predicted the end was in sight, despite a pledge by Kerry's remaining rival, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, to stay in the race.
Kerry has dominated the Democratic race with wins in 18 of the first 20 contests.
A total of 1,151 delegates are at stake on Tuesday, more than half of the 2,162 needed to win. McAuliffe said that meant a nominee would be selected "probably ... sometime around March 10."
"By the morning of March 10 ... 71 percent of the pledged delegates will have been chosen and probably 80 percent of the super delegates," McAuliffe said. "We are very close to having a nominee of the Democratic Party." |
