Posted on 02/17/2004 8:13:59 PM PST by GulliverSwift
By RON FOURNIER
(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., rests his arm on the shoulder of Ray... Full Image
John Kerry battled hard-charging John Edwards in the Wisconsin primary Tuesday, a surprisingly close contest that established the North Carolina senator as Kerry's sole rival as the Democratic presidential race thunders toward a 10-state showdown March 2.
The senators - Kerry from Massachusetts, the first-term Edwards - were running even, according to early results. Fallen front-runner Howard Dean trailed far behind, his candidacy doomed.
Close race or not, Kerry said, "A win is a win."
Edwards, his dream of a head-to-head matchup now a reality, declared, "We'll go full-throttle to the next group of states."
The North Carolina lawmaker's breakout was fueled by the highest Republican turnout of the primary season and voters who made their decision in the last week. His deepest support was in the GOP suburbs of Milwaukee.
"That's been happening in other primaries, too," Edwards told The Associated Press in an interview. "Republicans who would consider voting Democratic and independents are the people we have to win over to win the general election. That's why I'm the best candidate to take on George Bush."
Kerry held a wide lead in pre-election polls, but the surveys did not fully reflect voter sentiments after a statewide debate Sunday, Edwards' criticism of Kerry's free-trade policies and two newspaper endorsements for Edwards. Nor did the polls take into account 11th-hour attacks on Kerry from President Bush's re-election team.
Kerry won 14 of the 16 elections to date - seven by nearly half the vote - on the East and West coasts, in the Midwest, the Great Plains and the Southwest. He remains the undisputed front-runner, flush with money and momentum.
But the Edwards surprise ended any hope for a quick conclusion to the race and earlier-than-ever general election planning. A poor second-place showing would have crippled Edwards' campaign.
Buoyed by his hot streak, Kerry took two days off last week and ignored his rivals in Wisconsin while focusing on Bush in hopes of persuading voters the nominating fight was over.
"Not so fast, John Kerry," Edwards said in Sunday's debate, five words that may best sum up the impact of Tuesday's results.
Exit polls showed that half of the voters made their selection in the last week, most in the last few days - and Edwards led among late-breakers. Taking advantage of Wisconsin's open primary rules, one in 10 voters were Republicans and about 30 percent were independents. Those voters broke for Edwards.
The strong GOP turnout was boosted by city government elections in Milwaukee and a controversial referendum on casino gambling by an Indian tribe.
Primaries in Georgia, Ohio and Vermont on March 2 will be open as will the caucuses in Minnesota.
Kerry has pocketed 578 of the 2,161 delegates needed to secure the nomination, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Dean had just 188, Edwards 166 and Al Sharpton 16.
Wisconsin bestows 72 delegates.
With 30 percent of precincts reporting, Kerry had 39 percent, Edwards had 37 percent, Dean 18 percent, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio 3 percent and Al Sharpton 1 percent.
In a show of gathering strength, Kerry picked up the endorsement of a powerful 19-union alliance while votes were still being cast.
Byron Conway, 27, of Milwaukee, said Kerry was the only candidate with a shot at beating Bush. "I just want him out," he said.
Barbara Chamberlain, 79, also of Milwaukee, backed Edwards for the same reason. "I have hope for him beating you-know-who," she said.
Edwards called for a one-on-one debate with Kerry heading toward March 2, when California, New York, Ohio and seven other states award 1,151 delegates.
"The guy is positive," Bill Lohr, 50, of Sun Prairie, Wis., said. "He's got a good heart. Kind of like Bill Clinton got us rocking."
In the final days of the Wisconsin race, Edwards criticized Kerry's support of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The message found a receptive audience: In exit polls, three-fourths of voters said trade with other countries takes jobs from the United States.
Edwards and Kerry split the vote among those voters, though the North Carolina senator did better than the front-runner among voters who cited the economy and jobs as top issues.
Dean, his campaign jolted by defections and turmoil, said Tuesday, "We've gotten some support" in Wisconsin, though aides said it was not enough to keep him in the race.
The most important issues for voters in Wisconsin were the economy and jobs, chosen by almost four in 10 in exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and television networks by Edison Media Research/Mitofsky International.
Kerry plans to compete in every March 2 state, airing ads where Edwards is faring well in polls or buying TV time. If he survives Tuesday, a cash-strapped Edwards intends to target Ohio, New York and Georgia, airing ads in upstate New York and large sections of the other two states.
"I'm going to personally campaign in every state," Edwards told The AP.
First, he needs to raise money. Edward issued an e-mail appeal Tuesday, telling donors, "Every single contribution" counts.
Aides say Edwards' populist message will resonate in Ohio and upstate New York, areas hard hit by job losses. The Southern-bred candidate also should do well in Georgia. California is by far the day's biggest prize, with 370 delegates, followed by New York with 236.
But I thought Hillary! would take care of the job losses in upstate NY -- that's what she ran on, after all!
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