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Kerry nears nomination with wins in South
By (Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-10 16:30 John Kerry moved closer to
formally clinching the U.S. Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday with
easy victories in four Southern states, including the crucial November
battleground of Florida.
The Massachusetts senator, looking to challenge U.S. President Bush in a
region that has not been friendly to Democrats in recent elections, swept to
easy wins in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana.
Kerry effectively locked up the right to face Bush last week when he drove
his last major rival from the race and the victories put him on the verge of
making it official by capturing a majority of the delegates to July's nominating
convention.
"This nation is demanding more than ever before leadership that takes us in a
new direction," Kerry told supporters in Chicago, Illinois, which holds the
primary next week that could put him over the top.
"George Bush will not take us in that direction," he said. "I will."
Kerry rolled up more than 75 percent of the votes in Florida and Mississippi
over rivals who have dropped out of the race but remained on the ballots and
over two remaining minor challengers, civil rights activist Al Sharpton and
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich.
Kerry, already locked in an escalating general election struggle with Bush,
slammed the president's economic and foreign policies and ridiculed Bush's claim
to "steady leadership," describing him as a "stubborn" leader.
"After four years of the same old failed policies, what we've seen is
stubborn leadership," Kerry said.
Earlier in the day Bush, without mentioning Kerry by name, decried "economic
isolationists" who would weaken the U.S. economy.
"There are economic isolationists in our country who believe we should
separate ourselves from the rest of the world by raising up barriers and closing
off markets. They're wrong," Bush said in a clear jab at Kerry.
Kerry has called for a review of U.S. trade pacts and enforcement of labor
and environmental standards in the agreements.
'A RECORD TO RUN AWAY FROM'
In his victory speech in Chicago, Kerry said Bush cannot run on "any of the
issues that really define the quality of life in America. This president doesn't
have a record to run on, he has a record to run away from."
At stake on Tuesday were 435 delegates to the Democratic convention, enough
to put Kerry within about 100 delegates of the 2,162 needed to mathematically
wrap up the nomination.
Kerry won the vast majority of the delegates on Tuesday, and CBS News said he
already had passed the mark to clinch the nomination. But Kerry said he expected
to hit it next week in Illinois, which has 156 delegates at stake.
"Next week Illinois has the opportunity to give me the delegates that
actually make me the nominee," Kerry said.
The strong showing in the South was crucial to Kerry. He hopes to improve in
November on the Southern showing by Democratic presidential nominee Al
Gore in 2000, who was shut out in the region by Bush despite hailing from
Tennessee.
The last three Democrats elected president -- Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter
and Bill Clinton -- were from the South, and Kerry's road to the White House
would be much smoother with a strong showing in that region.
Kerry won Democratic primaries in Tennessee and Virginia last month, but lost
in South Carolina and Oklahoma and barely won in Georgia over rival John
Edwards, a senator from North Carolina.
Bush, the former governor of Texas, already has attacked Kerry on social and
security issues, which could play well in the more conservative region. But
Kerry said he would not change his campaign message to appeal to the South.
Kerry has focused heavily on Florida, scene of the bitter recount fight in
the disputed 2000 presidential election and destined to be another major
battleground in November. A recent poll showed Kerry with a slight lead over
Bush in the state, where Bush's brother Jeb is the governor.
Democratic strategists also suggest Kerry could challenge Bush in Louisiana,
where Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu won re-election in 2002 while other
Democrats were losing in the region.
But Kerry has little hope in November in Texas, Bush's home state, and in
conservative Mississippi, a state Bush won easily in 2000 and which has not
voted for a Democrat for president since Carter in 1976.
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