Kerry surges ahead

Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry (D-MA) celebrates after winning victories in more than half of the seven states holding primaries or caucuses Tuesday in Seattle, Washington. With his combined wins, Kerry has emerged as the undisputed front-runner in the Democratic candidacy for President.. PHOTO: AFP

Kerry, riding a wave of momentum from back-to-back wins in the first two contests last month, won in Missouri, Arizona, Delaware, North Dakota and New Mexico as seven states voted on the biggest day yet in the race to find a challenger to President Bush.

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Edwards, a senator from North Carolina, and Clark, a retired general, scored wins in South Carolina and Oklahoma, respectively, throwing up at least temporary speed bumps on Kerry's cruise to the nomination.

Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000, was shut out on Tuesday and pulled out of the race, saying "the judgment of the voters is now clear."

Fallen front-runner Howard Dean also went zero-for-Tuesday, but put a brave face on his poor showing and promised to keep "going and going and going."

Kerry, the Massachusetts senator and decorated Vietnam veteran who had faced questions about whether he could compete nationwide, answered with strong finishes in seven states in the South, East, West and Midwest.

"Now we will carry this campaign and the cause of a stronger, fairer, more prosperous America to every part of America," Kerry said at a victory rally in Seattle.

"We will take nothing for granted, we will compete everywhere, and in November, we will beat George W. Bush," he said.

Clark, the former commander of NATO and a political novice, scored a narrow win over Edwards in Oklahoma, where he led by 1,300 votes with all precincts reporting.

"As an old soldier from Arkansas, I couldn't be prouder of your support in this first election I've ever won," Clark told supporters in Oklahoma City.

According to early delegate projections by MSNBC, Kerry picked up at least 88 delegates on Tuesday for a total of 201. Edwards picked up 59 for a total of 100, putting him in third place behind Dean, who picked up 3 for 117. Clark picked up 24 for a total of 55.

Lieberman had been hoping for a win in Delaware, but dropped out after meeting with staff members and conferring with his family.

"I have decided tonight to end my quest for the presidency of the United States of America," Lieberman said at a rally near his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

Tuesday's votes offered the first nationwide test for the candidates, who spent almost all of January battling in Iowa and New Hampshire, largely white and rural states that hosted the first two nominating tests.

South Carolina was the first contest in the South and the first in a state with a large black population, while Arizona and New Mexico hold the first contests in states with large Hispanic populations.