Kerry on a roll
Edwards, and Clark earn one victory each
Edwards easily won his native South Carolina and Clark, a retired Army general from Arkansas, eked out victory in neighboring Oklahoma. Howard Dean earned no wins and perhaps no delegates, his candidacy in peril. Joe Lieberman was shut out, too, and dropped out of the race.
"It's a huge night," Kerry told The Associated Press, even as rivals denied him a coveted sweep.
Racking up victories in Missouri, Arizona, North Dakota, New Mexico and Delaware, Kerry suggested that his rivals were regional candidates.
"I compliment John Edwards, but I think you have to run a national campaign, and I think that's what we've shown tonight," the four-term Massachusetts senator said. "You can't cherry-pick the presidency."
With Iowa and New Hampshire already in his pocket, Kerry boasts a record of 7-2 in primary season contests, the undisputed front-runner who had a chance to put two major rivals away but barely failed.
An AP analysis showed Kerry winning 65 pledged delegates, Edwards 43, Clark five and Al Sharpton one, with 155 yet to be allocated. Kerry's wins in Missouri and Arizona were the night's biggest prizes, with 129 delegates nearly half of the 269 at stake.
Tuesday's results pushed Kerry close to 200 delegates out of 2,162 needed for the nomination, including the superdelegates of lawmakers and party traditionalists. Dean trailed by nearly 70, Edwards by nearly 100.
Democrats award delegates based on a candidate's showing in congressional districts, giving Kerry's rivals a chance to grab a few delegates even in contests they lost.
In nearly every region of the nation, the most diverse group of Democrats yet to cast votes this primary season said they had a singular priority: Defeat President Bush this fall.
"I don't care who wins" the Democratic primary, said Judy Donovan of Tucson, Ariz. "I'd get my dog to run. I'm not kidding. I would get Mickey Mouse in there. Anybody but Bush."
In state after state, exit polls showed Kerry dominated among voters who want a candidate with experience or who could beat Bush.
Edwards had said he must win South Carolina, and he did by dominating among voters who said they most value a candidate who cares about people like them.
"It's very easy to lay out the map to get us to the nomination," Edwards told the AP, drawing a line from Michigan on Saturday to Virginia and Tennessee next Tuesday. Utah's Democratic primary is Feb. 24.
Comments
- Somali insurgents behead 7 people 7:42 a.m.
- Obama: Recovery 'a ways off' 7:39 a.m.
- May trade deficit drops to $26B 7:33 a.m.
- 400,000 flee homes after quake 7:22 a.m.
- Funds for new courthouse approved 1:48 a.m.
- Godfrey vetoes Ogden budget 1:48 a.m.
- Odd Fellows Hall move 1:47 a.m.
- 2 country groups to perform 1:47 a.m.
- Rumor has Boozer with Bulls 1:20 a.m.
- Jazz in back of line for free agents 1:19 a.m.
- Rumor has Boozer with Bulls
- Jazz in back of line for free agents
- Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
- Okur signs two-year extension
- Restaurant destroyed by fire
- Jazz won't meet Lopez on Europe trip
- A primer for the 6th Potter film
- Jazz rally for OT win at Orlando
- AK will not play for Russia this summer
- Mall owner seeks to retain zoning
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
140 - Letters: Palin mistreated
136 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
123 - Rumor has Boozer with Bulls
88 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Moon landing: Let's hear from you
75 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
73 - Services bids farewell to Jackson
70 - Letters: Time for a revolution
69
Through the years, I've always raised eyebrows whenever I tell people...
The recent Poly camp in Bountiful opened the eyes of recruiters to at...
Let's be honest the only reason this person objects is because it would...
Skeptics of climate change are critical for the continued supremacy of the...
Watch more Fox Hate network! The uninformed run for god and guns spewing...
Mexico has plenty of nationals in SLC. That place will be filled with Club...
To the first three bloggers: I have a really important questions for all...
Thank you Mr. Murdock for using your MBA to clear this up for us. I will now...
Either scenario works for me. Joe
I've never seen such jealousy. And always from the bunch who stayed behind...
Chaffetz is yet another politico who can't keep his religion out of his...
It amazes me how desperately utahans want global warming to be untrue, so...



You can be the first to comment on this story.