Kerry scores easy wins in Nevada, Washington DC

3.30pm


MILWAUKEE - Democratic front-runner John Kerry has notched easy wins in Nevada and the District of Columbia to expand his lead in the party's presidential race, while rivals Howard Dean and John Edwards focused on stopping his winning streak in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

With the nomination almost in his grasp, Kerry kept his sights trained on a November matchup with President George W Bush and accused him of "attack politics" designed to hide his poor record in the White House.

"With George Bush's bad record -- with his lack of vision -- he has no choice but to resort to attack politics. Maybe we can't blame him, but come November, we can replace him," Kerry said in remarks prepared for a party dinner in Milwaukee.

The wins in Nevada and Washington, DC, give Kerry victories in 14 of the 16 Democratic contests so far in the race to find a challenger to Bush. They also set up a crucial showdown in Wisconsin on Tuesday with Dean, the fallen front-runner, and Edwards, the senator from North Carolina.

The state's primary could be the last chance for either of the Massachusetts senator's rivals to change the dynamic of the race and halt his momentum before a round of 10 contests on March 2 in states like New York and California that could virtually clinch the nomination.

Public opinion polls show Kerry with a big lead in Wisconsin. Dean and Edwards have vowed to stay in the race even if they lose, although asked again on Saturday whether he would drop out, Dean said: "You will find out on Wednesday."

Edwards told reporters after a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, that he planned to push on no matter what happened on Tuesday. He said he was confident he would make a strong showing.

"People want the process to go on. They want Democratic primary voters to have a choice," said Edwards, who picked up the endorsement of the Madison Capital Times newspaper.

Kerry, the only candidate to campaign in Nevada, began the day on Saturday telling a throng of supporters at a caucus site at a Las Vegas high school that he was "astounded and grateful" for their support.

He easily outdistanced second-place finisher Dean in Nevada with 63 per cent of the votes, compared to Dean's 17 per cent, and also scored an easy win in the District of Columbia.

Nevada and the District of Columbia send 40 delegates to July's nominating convention. Kerry already has racked up about one-quarter of the 2162 delegates needed to win the nomination and has more than his remaining rivals combined.

Adding to Kerry's momentum is the expected endorsement next week of the AFL-CIO labour federation.

Dean, the former Vermont governor who has seen his huge lead in the polls slip away in little more than a month, began the day with a prayer breakfast at a black church in Milwaukee, then attended a rally in a half-empty hall in Racine, Wisconsin.

"We are not going to change America unless we stand up for what we believe in," said Dean, who shot to the front of the Democratic pack last year with blunt denunciations of Bush and the Iraq war before plummeting back down as voters turned to Kerry.

Kerry has largely ignored his rivals on the campaign trail to keep the focus of his criticism on Bush. In Milwaukee, he hammered Bush for sending supporters a link to an internet video earlier this week that attacked what it said were Kerry's ties to special interests.

"Instead of attacking America's problems, George Bush has decided to play attack politics," Kerry said. He said Bush's "misleading, negative attack ad" was just the first of many and warned: "If he wants to come after us, we're ready."

Kerry fired back with his own internet ad sent to supporters on Saturday showing an empty Oval Office and a list of special interest Bush contributors with the question on screen: "Who has taken more special interest money than anyone?"

The comments from Kerry followed two days of harsh exchanges between the Bush and Kerry camps, who accused each other of dirty politics. Republicans have been angered by Democratic questions over Bush's service in the Air National Guard in the early 1970s.

Democrats were angered by Republican attempts to paint Kerry as beholden to special interests, a charge Kerry has used repeatedly against Bush.

Edwards also will appear at Saturday's Democratic Party dinner in Milwaukee, along with Ohio Rep Dennis Kucinich. They will be joined by Dean and civil rights activist Al Sharpton in a debate on Sunday night.

- REUTERS