Kerry Tops in NH, Former Frontrunner Dean a Distant Second
by Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
January 28, 2004
(AgapePress) - A spokesman for John Kerry's presidential campaign describes former frontrunner Howard Dean as "the walking wounded" following yesterday's New Hampshire primary.Massachusetts Senator John Kerry followed up his victory in the Iowa caucuses last week with a strong win in Tuesday's presidential primary in New Hampshire. The liberal Democrat raked in 39% of the vote, with fellow candidates Howard Dean (26%), Senator John Edwards (12%), and General Wesley Clark (12%) trailing. Edwards had finished second in Iowa, and Dean third.
Kerry was favored in most polls going into New Hampshire, and Dean had hoped to better last week's disappointing third-place finish. While he did accomplish that, the former governor of Vermont also managed to squander a double-digit lead in the Granite State in a matter of weeks. Perhaps that is what motivated Dean's campaign manager to state before Tuesday's primary they would be "ecstatic" with a second-place finish. After the results were in, Dean thanked New Hampshire for allowing his campaign to "regain its momentum."
Mark Mellman, a senior strategist for Kerry, has a much different perspective. He tells Fox News that Kerry's two victories have left Dean crippled. "I don't think you can come in third in Iowa, come in a rather distant second in New Hampshire and claim to have the moral authority, if you will, to continue the race," Mellman said. "I think Howard Dean is really the walking wounded."
No Surprise
A conservative political analyst says while the New Hampshire results were expected, the real unknown is how the nation is going to judge the candidates in November. Gary Bauer says the outcome of Tuesday's vote was so surprise to him.
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Gary Bauer |
"Dean appeared to be making a run at it the last couple of days, but clearly has fallen short," Bauer observes. "So I think at this point, people have to say Kerry is a frontrunner -- but Dean shows no inclination to step aside or get out of the race."The pro-family activist says with only 39% of the vote, it is no runaway for Kerry. "All of these candidates are going to have money challenges -- and in that category, Dean is still in the driver's seat," he says, alluding to Dean's campaign treasure chest estimated at $40 million.
Bauer believes the determining factor in the November national election will be the stances candidates take on the moral issues of the day. "I am struck that even though there's this jockeying going on for who's going to have the inside lane in the race, that increasingly all of these candidates are very vulnerable in November against President Bush," the former GOP presidential candidate says.
"Super Tuesday," with its hefty prize of seven states, will take place next week. The results of polling in Missouri, South Carolina, Arizona, Delaware, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Dakota should somewhat clarify the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
