Kerry carries nine states

By Laban Pelz

,It was indeed Super Tuesday for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. Kerry won nine of 10 states including California, and finished the night without his biggest rival for the Democratic nomination, North Carolina senator John Edwards.

Edwards is expected to officially drop from the race today.

Many concede that Kerry will receive the Democratic nomination for the 2004 Presidential election.

“ He’s a super nominee, and he’ll be a super president of the United States,” fellow Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy said to a jubilant crowd at Kerry’s campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“ Thank you to the voters who have truly made this a super Tuesday,” Kerry said at the rally.

The announcement of Edwards’ withdrawal came early in the evening, as polls showed Kerry leading in three of only five reporting states.

“ It’s very surprising, given that polls haven’t closed yet. This is odd,” Melissa Michelson, a Fresno State political science professor, said Tuesday. “It’s unusual for a candidate to concede defeat this early. At least wait until polls close.

“ It’s discouraging for the democrats who just voted for Edwards. It’s also discouraging for those who haven’t voted yet. They might think that there’s no use going to the polls. On the other hand, it might cause them to go to the polls and give a big victory to Kerry.”

After the news broke, President George W. Bush called Kerry to congratulate him on his impending nomination.

“ Bring it on,” Kerry shot back in his celebratory speech.

“ This is a big victory for Kerry. The general election starts tomorrow,” Michelson said. “Kerry and Bush can immediately focus on each other. Bush knows who he’s going to face, and Kerry can stop worrying about his Democratic rivals.”

The only state Kerry didn’t win Tuesday was Vermont, which lent itself to its former governor, Howard Dean, who dropped out of the Democratic race two weeks ago. Edwards led in Georgia for much of the night, but Kerry eventually took that state as well.

Before Tuesday night, Kerry had won 17 states and held 733 delegates. 2,162 of the 4,322 total delegates are required for a candidate to get the Democratic Party’s nomination. Kerry’s Super Tuesday victories give him 26 states and put his total delegates at 1,163, with California contributing 370.

Many have mulled over the possibility of Kerry and Edwards as running mates for president.

“ It’s a strong ticket if you’re a democrat,” said Fresno State political science professor David Schecter. “There’s balance there, both geographically and in age.”