Dean ends Campaign

[Guest MarioLogan]

Dean ends presidential campaign

Kerry wins Wisconsin, Edwards is strong second

 

(CNN) --After failing to win a single state in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean pulled the plug Wednesday on his once seemingly unstoppable presidential campaign.

 

"I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency," Dean announced to supporters in Burlington, Vermont. But he said he would build a "new organization" to continue advancing his goals for the Democratic Party.

 

"We are not going away," he said.

 

The doctor-turned-politician, who galvanized the Democratic base with his insurgent campaign and once enjoyed front-runner status in the primary race, made his announcement following a disappointing third-place finish in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary.

 

"We have led this party back to consider where its heart and soul is, although there is a lot of work left to do," Dean said, as he outlined some of his campaign's achievements, such as its tapping of the Internet for contributions.

 

Dean thanked supporters, family and friends and vowed to help Democrats defeat President Bush in November.

 

Dean noted that his name will remain on the ballots in upcoming state contests, but he made it clear he was no longer a candidate. He urged his supporters to "stay active" in the primaries, and to work to defeat Bush.

 

Meanwhile, voters and analysts were taking stock on Wednesday morning of the surprisingly strong second-place showing by Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, behind John Kerry's win of the Wisconsin primary.

 

Edwards' strength could give him new momentum, with the "Super Tuesday" batch of contests just two weeks away, on March 2.

 

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting in Tuesday's primary, Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, had 40 percent of the vote, followed by Edwards at 34 percent and Dean at 18 percent. Rep. Dennis Kucinich trailed with 3 percent and civil rights activist Al Sharpton had 1 percent. (Audio Slide Show: Primary night in Wisconsin)

 

Kerry's campaign sought to downplay Edwards' upward mobility, arguing that a win is a win -- and that Kerry has won all but two contests so far in the primary season.

 

"The motto of the state of Wisconsin is, 'Forward.' And I want to thank the state of Wisconsin for moving this cause and this campaign forward tonight," Kerry said at a victory rally in Middleton.

 

Edwards surge

Edwards conceded that his closer-than-expected showing wasn't what he'd foreseen. He noted that polling put Kerry as much as 35 points ahead just two days ago. (Gallery: Wisconsin votes)

 

"I am surprised by the strength of the surge. I'm not surprised by the surge," Edwards told CNN's "Larry King Live." "We've surged in a lot of states at the end when people got a close look at me and my campaign." (Full story)

 

Exit polling found that nearly 60 percent of Wisconsin voters made up their minds in the last week, and Edwards beat Kerry by 16 points among those voters. But among voters who made up their minds more than a week ago, Kerry led by more than 30 points.

 

Edwards also benefited from support from independent voters, who were allowed to cast a Democratic ballot Tuesday in Wisconsin. They broke for Edwards by a nearly 15-point margin.

 

The economy was the top issue for Wisconsin voters, the exit polls showed, and trade was an important issue in the race. (Full story)

 

"Today, the voters of Wisconsin sent a clear message. The message is this -- objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear," Edwards told jubilant supporters in Milwaukee. "They want a debate. They want this campaign to continue. They want someone who will stand up and fight for them."

 

In winning 16 of 18 primary-season contests held so far, Kerry has secured slightly more than a quarter of the 2,161 delegates he needs to win his party's White House nomination. (CNN.com's interactive look at Primary Results to date)

 

Of Wisconsin's 72 delegates up for grabs Tuesday. Kerry secured at least 30, Edwards had at least 24 and 13 went to Dean. The rest were still to be decided. (CNN.com's interactive Delegate Scorecard)

 

Next week, voters will choose delegates at caucuses in Hawaii and Idaho and in Utah's primary. (CNN.com's interactive Election Calendar)

 

Those contests will be followed by "Super Tuesday," which features the largest single batch of primaries and caucuses on the Democratic calendar. A total of 1,151 delegates will be picked that day in 10 states, including such electoral prizes as California, New York, Ohio and Georgia.

 

CNN's Kelly Wallace, Dan Lothian, Candy Crowley, Judy Woodruff, Wolf Blitzer, Bill Schneider, Jeff Greenfield, Carlos Watson, John Mercurio, Justin Dial, Jamie McShane and Sasha Johnson contributed to this report.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/18/...main/index.html

[Art Sandusky 0]

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

It was expected, but I'm particularly interested in two things about this.

 

1) The Dean supporters, if they do in fact break for Edwards, could turn this primary around quite a bit. (example: if 1/3 of Dean's Wisconsin supporters had voted Edwards--a reasonable number--Edwards would've won that state)

 

2) His organizational ideas are interesting, and I wonder where he's going with it. Is it going to be a watchdog organization, a think tank, etc.?

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Tyler, will you photoshop a new "John Edwards for America" banner? or just cross out Dean's name and put Edwards in?

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I'm gonna be advertising for my new site in a few weeks, so I'll probably just wait until then to change my sig.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Well...Edwards is my guy (that didn't come out right)...

 

so I hope he's helped by this.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

[BX 0]

I guess I'll support Edwards now, seeing as live less then 10 minutes from his hometown. But I'll always be a Deaniac.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I always called them DeanHeads.

[Dr. Tom 0]

Good thing his name wasn't Howard Dick, then.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I'd probably call them Dickies then.

[Guest thebigjig]

well... it was fun while it lasted

 

I stopped supporting Dean several months ago, but I gotta give him credit... not just for revolutionizing the grassroots/internet campaign, but for getting ME interested in politics again.

 

 

I kind of feel sorry for the guy

[Guest Cerebus]

An ex-Dean supporter dubs him "nuts". What the Union giveth...