US Democratic presidential hopefuls lock in four-way race

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 19, 2004

US Democratic presidential hopefuls lock in four-way race

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A late surge by US Democratic presidential candidates John Kerry and John Edwards has dramatically changed the character of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, turning a two-way battle into a four-way race, according to a new poll published Sunday.

Kerry, a US Senator from Massachusetts, jumped to the lead in a poll conducted by the Des Moines Register, a major newspaper in Iowa, with 26 percent of likely caucus participants. He was followed by Senator Edwards of North Carolina at 23 percent.

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean and Congressman Dick Gephardt of Missouri, the two long-standing front-runners in the race to win the Iowa caucuses to be held on Monday night, have slipped to third at 20 percent and 18 percent respectively.

The poll, based on interviews with 606 likely caucuses-goers and with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, offers ample evidence that the contest remains fluid.

Nearly half of those who have a candidate preference - 47 percent - say they still could be persuaded to change their minds. The top four candidates were crisscrossing the state in an effort to garner support hours before the voters go to the caucuses.

Several polls conducted by major national news networks and newspapers also indicated that the Iowa caucuses would be a tight race for the four candidates.

But the surge of Kerry and Edwards dealt an especially heavy blow to Dean, who had led various polls until a couple of weeks ago. Observers pointed to fierce attacks from his rivals and some misstatements by himself as the possible cause of his slippery in the polls.

Dean rode a rocket of anti-Iraq war sentiment to the status of front-runner. But he has had trouble maintaining the altitude as the war fades as a front-burner issue.

On the contrary, Kerry has kept gaining momentum in the last few months. As a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, he has picked up some support from fellow military veterans. Also, his Washington experience over Dean's lack of the same weighted as voters considered the ability of the party nominee to defeat President George W. Bush in the general election.

Dean is still leading in polls in New Hampshire, the state which will have the first primaries on Jan. 27. But polls also showed that retired general Wesley Clark, who has opted out of the Iowa caucuses, is catching up. Kerry was occupying the third place in those polls.

Source: Xinhua

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