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Kerry wins in five states
February 4, 2004

About 200 people waited for the polls to open on caucus day. They crowded into a ballroom at a Fargo hotel. Volunteers staffed tables for their candidates, making last second pleas for votes. (MPR Photo/Bob Reha)

— Armed with a multistate win that cemented his front-runner status, John Kerry is pausing briefly before plunging into the next round of tests as a national presidential candidate. His campaign, Kerry said, is "on the move."

The Massachusetts senator's momentum grew by winning five of the seven Democratic primaries and caucuses in play Tuesday.

"At the heart of this campaign is our commitment to an America where the future is built on fairness for all, not privilege for the few," Kerry said.

On Thursday, he was off to Maine and Michigan.

While he campaigned and advertised in all seven states that held contests Tuesday, he watched the results in Seattle, already looking ahead and underscoring his argument that his campaign is bigger than a single state.

Kerry hit the point again even as he congratulated North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for his victory in South Carolina.

"I compliment John Edwards, but I think you have to run a national campaign, and I think that's the strength we have shown tonight," Kerry said in an interview with The Associated Press.

On Tuesday, he sought to elevate his campaign beyond his rivals, beating back competitors in Delaware, Missouri, North Dakota, New Mexico and Arizona. Wesley Clark won Oklahoma.

Edwards said Wednesday his South Carolina primary win would not push him to attack the front-runner, only point out their differences.

"There's no attack in my strategy, I can tell you that. What got me to this place ... was a positive message with new, fresh ideas about how we make this country work for everybody," Edwards told "American Morning" on CNN. "When people ask me directly about Senator Kerry and myself, I'll answer those questions, as I'm sure he will."

Edwards said he would focus on his goals as president rather than his opponents as he campaigns in Tennessee and Virginia, two Southern states with primaries Feb. 10. Although Edwards and rival Wesley Clark both won primaries Tuesday, they lagged far behind Kerry, who has won seven elections and has more than twice the number of delegates than either Edwards or his other major opponent, Howard Dean.

North Dakota's results -- Kerry won 22 delegates -- was also important for local Democrats. North Dakota is routinely ignored in presidential elections. The state's three electoral votes hardly seem worth the bother.

This year North Dakotans have been courted by five presidential hopefuls. The state's voters became more attractive when the states caucus was moved from March to February.

Phil Harmeson, a long-time political analyst in North Dakota, says visits by national candidates generated excitement and media attention for local Democrats.

"Those sort of local activities, rather they be at the precinct level or the district level or the state level are really confined to a very small group of people," he said.

Voter turnout at many caucus sites was strong, exactly what North Dakota Democratic party officials were hoping for.

But if the Democratic presidential nominee carries North Dakota, he will be the first Democrat to do so since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Of the 269 pledged delegates at stake Tuesday night, an AP analysis showed Kerry winning 128, Edwards 61, Clark 49, Dean seven and Al Sharpton one, with 23 yet to allocated. Rep. Dennis Kucinich got none.

"If Dean continues for another two or three weeks he'll turn himself into another Kucinich," said Merle Black, an Emory University politics professor. Kucinich generally pulls in the low single digits.

"It's Kerry's race to lose right now," added Black. "He comes out way ahead in the delegates and there appears to be no one else on the scene who appears capable of stopping him."

(The Associated Press and MPR reporter Bob Reha contributed to this report)

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