Gephardt backs Kerry

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is looking to wrap up the Democratic nomination for President with commanding primary victories this week-end.. PHOTO: AP

With five Democratic nominating contests scheduled over the next five days, Kerry's challengers frantically raised money and searched for a strategy to derail the Massa-chusetts senator before he runs away with the nomination to face President Bush in November.

Gephardt, a Missouri congressman who dropped out of the race last month after a disappointing finish behind Kerry in Iowa, endorsed him at a campaign event in Warren, Michigan, on Friday. The two then appeared together at events in Michigan, which holds its nominating contest on Saturday.

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Gephardt's seal of approval for Kerry was expected to lead to an endorsement of Kerry by a coalition of labor unions that had backed Gephardt, with an announcement likely within the next week after union leaders conferred with members, labor sources said.

One-time front-runner Dean looked beyond the next five contests and drew the line at the Feb. 17 primary in Wisconsin, telling supporters in an online fund-raising appeal that his fading campaign must win there or he would be finished.

"The entire race has come down to this: We must win Wisconsin," said the former Vermont governor, who has squandered a huge lead in the polls and a $40 million bank account. "A win there will carry us to the big states on March 2 -- and narrow the field to two candidates. Anything else will put us out of the race."

Kerry has seized command of the race with wins in seven of the first nine contests as the focus shifts to Michigan and Washington on Saturday, Maine on Sunday and Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday.

A new Reuters/MSNBC/Zogby poll found Kerry with a huge 47 percent to 10 percent lead over Dean in Michigan. No other candidate managed double digits in the state with 128 delegates at stake, the largest haul in the race so far.