Kerry claims Iowa

Published 9:00 pm Monday, January 19, 2004

DES MOINES, Iowa — Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts surged to victory Monday night in the Iowa caucuses, giving a big boost to his once-faltering candidacy as the Democratic presidential race heads to the next big test in New Hampshire.

The two front-runners — former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri — finished third and fourth, respectively. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, viewed as an Iowa also-ran as recently as 10 days ago, finished a surprising second.

Gephardt, who was counting more than any candidate on victory in Iowa, scheduled a news conference in St. Louis today in which he planned to announce his withdrawal from the race.

"My campaign to fight for working people may be ending tonight, but our fight will never end," Gephardt said in a post-caucus speech Monday night that sounded like a political farewell.

The results were also a setback for Dean, putting a significant dent in his standing as the national Democratic front-runner and elevating the stakes for him when New Hampshire holds the first presidential primary in one week.

With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, Kerry had 38 percent, Edwards 32 percent, Dean 18 percent and Gephardt 11 percent. Long-shot candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio was at 1 percent.

His campaign given up for dead just weeks ago, Kerry predicted another comeback in New Hampshire’s primary.

"As I’ve said in New Hampshire and here, I’m a fighter," the Massachusetts lawmaker said.

"I want to thank Iowa for making me the ‘Comeback Kerry,’ " Kerry, 60, said.

Edwards, 50, also claimed momentum.

"This campaign, this cause, this movement is about bringing real change to America," Edwards told supporters. "You and I can build an America and an image of America that we will be proud of."

His shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, his voice rising to a shout in a room crowded with supporters, Dean tried hard to reset expectations.

"If you would have told us a year ago we would come third in Iowa, we would have taken anything for that," he yelled. Dean said he called Kerry and Edwards and told them, "I’ll see you around the corner, around the block, starting tomorrow."

The contest is shaping up as a battle between the two New England neighbors — Kerry and Dean — with the added element of ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, who has been climbing in New Hampshire polls as a result of his intense focus on the state.

Just 45 delegates were up for grabs in Iowa among more than 2,000 needed to win the Democratic presidential nomination. But as the first meaningful test of strength in the White House contest, the results took on huge significance.

For Kerry, a four-term senator making his first try at the White House, the victory was a stunning reversal of fortunes.

Just a few weeks ago, he was mortgaging his Boston mansion to pour desperately needed money into a campaign most political analysts had written off as hopeless. After ham-handedly firing his campaign manager, he recruited a new staff — led by associates of Massachusetts’ senior senator, Edward Kennedy — and practically moved full time to Iowa.

He abandoned his penchant for lofty Senate speak, pared down his windy stump addresses and undertook a punishing schedule that won over audiences by staying until everyone in the crowd had quenched their curiosity.

For Edwards, the surprisingly strong finish was a validation of his strategy of staying above the pushing and shoving, instead focusing on a relentlessly positive message.

Speaking to reporters in his Des Moines hotel suite as the caucus results were pouring in, Edwards said he would not change his strategy for the New Hampshire primary. He faces a different slate of candidates there, including Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, both of whom did not compete in Iowa.

"My campaign message is what I am," Edwards said. "I certainly won’t change what I am."

Dean’s disappointing finish came after the candidate expressed robust confidence over the past few days. But his computer-generated fund-raising and grass-roots network apparently could not overcome nagging questions about the candidate’s outspokenness and viability in the general election.

Dean’s controversial remarks piled up — from his statement that the United States was not safer with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in custody to his complaint that the Democratic Party chairman was not doing enough to stem the attacks against him. Combined with a series of critical media reports, the result was a damaging portrait at a time when Democrats were seeking a candidate they judge the strongest to face President Bush in November.

Monday night, Dean was stoic. "We’re just glad to get our tickets punched from Iowa," he said on CNN. "I think the people of Iowa are great. The experience has been great for us."

Asked if his tactics would change in New Hampshire, he replied, "We’ll find out when we get there."