Democrats Debate before
Super Tuesday Showdown
(2-26-04). Democratic presidential candidates will debate today
in Los Angeles. The debate is sponsored by CNN and the LA Times. Tuesday, March
2 is "Super Tuesday."
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) --
The four remaining Democratic presidential hopefuls
will square off Thursday for the last time before next week's "Super Tuesday"
showdown.
Voters in 10 states will decide how the candidates will divvy up a bonanza of
1,151 delegates.
Sens.
John Kerry and
John Edwards, Rep.
Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and the Rev.
Al Sharpton, a New York civil rights activist, will meet Thursday in Los
Angeles in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Los Angeles Times.
Polls show Democratic front-runner Kerry with strong leads over Edwards, his
closest rival, in the four largest states holding primaries next week.
The latest Field Poll in California showed Kerry with a 40-point lead over
Edwards in the Golden State. Surveys by the American Research Group put Kerry
ahead of Edwards by 30 points in New York and 20 points in Ohio, while the
margin of his lead in Georgia was by eight points.
Edwards counting on late surge again
Still, Edwards struck a note of optimism while campaigning Wednesday in
California, reminding reporters how he surged from behind in earlier contests.
"It's clear to me from all these events I'm having that voters want this
choice between John Edwards and John Kerry," Edwards said. "What I've seen
happen everywhere we've gone is that there's been a powerful response and surge
in the last few days before a primary takes place."
Last week in Wisconsin, pre-election polls showed Edwards anywhere from 20 to
35 points behind Kerry. In the end, the senator from Massachusetts still won, by
six points, as Edwards made a late charge.
In addition to California, New York, Ohio and Georgia, five other states will
have primaries Tuesday -- Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Vermont. Minnesota will be holding caucuses. (CNN.com's
interactive Election Calendar)
Kerry -- fresh from winning contests Tuesday night in Idaho, Utah and Hawaii
-- campaigned Wednesday in Ohio, where he picked up the endorsement of one of
the state's political icons, former Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit
the Earth. (Full
results: America Votes 2004)
"If ever a cup was running over, mine is running over," Kerry told a crowd in
Toledo.
He said he was thrilled by his strong showings in this week's contests but
added, "We've got a lot of work ahead of us, a lot of campaigning to do."
As they scrambled for any available advantage in the Super Tuesday states,
Kerry and Edwards were lobbying supporters of former Vermont Gov.
Howard Dean, who has suspended his campaign.
Edwards said he has met with the leaders of the Dean campaign in Ohio and
Minnesota and that he's continued to talk periodically to former governor.
After leaving Ohio, Kerry traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he met with
about 30 Dean supporters, trying to encourage them to caucus for him Tuesday.
But privately, a Kerry aide conceded Edwards has a advantage in trying to lure
Dean voters, particularly in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, Kucinich was celebrating his best showing in the campaign so far.
In Tuesday's Hawaii caucuses, he snagged 30 percent of the vote for a
second-place finish, behind Kerry but far ahead of Edwards.
While pundits and political experts have been casting the race as a two-man
showdown between Kerry and Edwards, the Kucinich campaign released a statement
pointedly noting that he has finished ahead of Edwards in three states.
The American Research Group poll also found Kucinich, the former mayor of
Cleveland, with 11 percent support in his home state of Ohio.
Clinton makes fund-raising plea
In another development Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton made a rare
foray into the presidential campaign, putting his name on an e-mail fund-raising
appeal for the Democratic National Committee
"Every Democrat from every corner of our party has to step forward right now
and help," Clinton said. "There can be no waiting, no hesitation, no thinking
that preparing for the general election is something we can get around to once
we know who will be our nominee.
"The Republican National Committee isn't waiting. They're stockpiling tens of
millions of dollars with only one purpose in mind -- to deliver a devastating
political blow to our nominee as soon as one is chosen."
Clinton has not endorsed any of this year's Democratic candidates, although
many prominent figures associated with his administration and past campaigns
were involved in the unsuccessful bid of retired Gen. Wesley Clark.
In his e-mail, Clinton indicated that no primary endorsement would be
forthcoming, saying that "some of us have chosen to focus all of our attention
on preparing the party for November."
CNN's Justin Dial and Kelly Wallace contributed to this report.
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