|
Kerry wins nh primary Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80BIR980.htmlhttp://apnews.myway.com/article/20040128/D80BIR980.html
Kerry Wins N.H. Primary, Boosts Momentum
Jan 27, 10:33 PM (ET)
By RON FOURNIER
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - John Kerry overpowered Howard Dean to win New Hampshire's primary Tuesday, scoring a second-straight campaign victory to establish the four-term senator as the Democratic Party's presidential front-runner.
"I ask Democrats everywhere to join us so we can defeat George W. Bush and the economy of privilege," Kerry told supporters, promising to "reduce the poverty of millions rather than reducing the taxes of millionaires."
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark were in a distant race for third. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, sagging to fifth place, rejected advice from some advisers to abandon his bid.
After trooping through coffee shops, country stores and livings rooms of Iowa and New Hampshire, the candidates now move to the cold realities of a national campaign - airport rallies and multimillion-dollar ad buys in seven states holding contests next Tuesday.
Kerry, who reshaped the race with his stunning win in Iowa's caucuses Jan. 19, steams toward the cross-country contests embolden with the aura of success to argue that he is the candidate best suited to oust President Bush in November.
With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, Kerry had 39 percent, Dean had 26 percent, Clark 13 percent, Edwards 12 percent, and Lieberman 9 percent.
Dean, the former five-term governor of Vermont who finished third in Iowa, lost New Hampshire by double digits - less than he needed for a complete rebound or to erase doubts about his viability.
He did manage about twice as many votes as either Edwards or Clark, and found solace in gaining a bit of ground since his disastrous Iowa finish and shrill election-night address.
Dean kept his emotions in check Tuesday night, telling supporters, "The people of New Hampshire have allowed all of you to hope again that we're going to have real change in America."
Edwards, who finished a surprise second in Iowa, said his double-digit finish is an improvement over his standing in polls before Iowa. He's staking his candidacy on South Carolina, a centerpiece of next week's contests. "Beyond South Carolina, I don't want to make any predictions," he said.
Ignoring his fifth-place showing, Lieberman declared, "We're in a three-way split decision" and pointed his ragged campaign toward South Carolina, Delaware and Oklahoma.
Looking toward next week, Dean insisted he will "play to win in every single state," overruling aides who urged a more cautious approach. The former Vermont governor plans to compete in South Carolina, Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona, which holds contests next Tuesday; Michigan and Washington state four days later; and Wisconsin, with its contest Feb. 17.
Several Dean advisers had urged him to pick fewer targets, cherrypicking states to conserve resources, but he vetoed the strategy, insisting that his campaign was muscular enough to compete nationally.
Dean has raised more than $200,000 in the 24 hours before the primary, but he has been spending money just as fast as raising it - and he will keep up the pricey pace with his new strategy.
Kerry also pledged to compete everywhere, but his twin victories should fuel the drive.
An AP analysis of the delegate count showed Kerry winning 14 delegates and Dean capturing eight, while Edwards and Clark appeared to finish below the 15 percent vote threshold needed to win any delegates.
His eye warily cast toward the fall, Bush planned a trip to New Hampshire to counter criticism heaped his way during the Democratic race. He used a similar tactic after Iowa's caucuses, scheduling his State of the Union address one day after that contest.
It has been a topsy-turvy Democratic race, with Dean leading New Hampshire polls by 25 percentage points when the year began, Kerry seizing a similar lead after Iowa and Dean gaining a bit of ground after an 11th-hour political overhaul.
"It's an enormous victory, a huge turnaround," Kerry told The Associated Press. "We were written off for months, and plugged on and showed people the determination we have to defeat President Bush."
In a race that has been hard on front-runners, Kerry said he is ready for the role.
"I've been in public life for a long time, and I have been in tough races before and have been scrutinized," he said. "I'm ready to lead our party to victory."
But the front-runner's mantle may prove as weighty as it was for Dean. Rivals were already sharpening their knives, Republicans calling him a Massachusetts liberal and Democrats accusing him of equivocating on the Iraq war and accomplishing little in the Senate.
About 200,000 voters participated in the Democratic primary, easily eclipsing the record 170,000 turnout in 1992 when Paul Tsongas defeated then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. Voters in the primary were evenly split between Democrats and independents. A third of the independents backed Kerry, a fourth backed Dean and the rest were split among Edwards, Clark and Lieberman.
Surveys of New Hampshire voters showed Kerry's support was broad-based with equally strong support among women and men, all age groups. His support was slightly higher among those whose financial situations have gotten worse in the last four years.
Kerry dominated among those who decided whom they would back in the last week, getting the support of half of those voters. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters said they backed Kerry because they think he can defeat Bush.
"After tonight, this is a national campaign for delegates and that's why we're going to be competing everywhere," said Mark Mellman, one of Kerry's pollsters.
Dean ran strongly among liberals, war opponents, those angry at Bush, and those who thought the most important candidate quality was standing up for what they believe. He lagged behind Kerry among voters who most wanted a candidate who could beat Bush and a candidate who had the most experience.
The exit poll was conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
Kerry, often a plodding and inelegant campaigner, found his rhythm as Dean lost his. A decorated Vietnam War lieutenant, Kerry cast himself as the Democratic antidote to Bush's advantages on terrorism and foreign policy. He warned Democrats that Dean's tax and foreign policy will "just kill us" in the fall.
In the desperate hours after Iowa's caucuses, Dean tried to soften his image and retool his message - billing himself as a straight-shooting fiscal conservative and social liberal. He questioned Kerry's judgment for opposing the 1991 Persian Gulf War and supporting Bush's 2002 war resolution.
The pair bickered to the end.
"I vote my conscience. Unlike Howard Dean, I've fought in a war and I know the responsibilities of commander in chief, of how you send young men and women off to war," Kerry said, touting his service in the Vietnam War.
Dean shot back by accusing Kerry and the other senators seeking the presidency of paying too much attention to information the Bush administration provided about Saddam Hussein's potential to deploy weapons of mass destruction.
"The question is how come the senators fell for the misleading information," said Dean, who rose to prominence in the race as an opponent of the Iraq war. "I didn't."
Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton were not factors.
A total of 269 pledged delegates are at stake Feb. 3 in Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Dakota and South Carolina. That is more than 12 percent of the 2,162 needed for the nomination, and far more than the 67 delegates claimed in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Michigan and Washington state hold contests four days later, followed by Maine on Feb. 8, Virginia and Tennessee on Feb. 10, Wisconsin a week later, and a huge 10-state showdown March 2.
New Hampshire has a history of surprises.
Democrat Gary Hart came from behind to beat front-runner Walter Mondale in 1984. Four years later, Republican Bob Dole watched his lead disappear over the weekend as George Bush surged to victory.
The tables were turned on Bush when he sought re-election in 1992 and conservative Pat Buchanan scored a closer-than-expected second place. On the Democratic side, Bill Clinton survived allegations of an extramarital affair to finish second and proclaim himself the "Comeback Kid."
In 2000, George W. Bush held a narrow lead in polls over Sen. John McCain of Arizona, but the surveys had it wrong again: McCain beat Bush by 18 percentage points.
McCain returned to the site of his greatest political triumph Monday, campaigning for Bush at the behest of Vice President Dick Cheney. White House political advisers were worried that Democratic criticism of Bush would take its toll in New Hampshire, a swing state in the fall.
|
|
