British press sees Kerry victory as north-south split in Dem party

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Leading Democrat fails to unite party
Frontrunner shrugs off losses as party faces a north-south split

Julian Borger in Seattle
Thursday February 5, 2004
The Guardian

The Democratic party was yesterday facing a north-south divide in its ranks after Tuesday's primary elections failed to resolve the contest for the presidential nomination.

John Kerry celebrated with supporters in Seattle overnight after winning five of the seven contests, and claimed to be the only national candidate in the nomination race, as Howard Dean's insurgency continued to wither.

But Senator Kerry fell short in the more conservative south, where he was solidly beaten by John Edwards in South Carolina, and relegated to third place by General Wesley Clark and Senator Edwards in Oklahoma.

"Our conclusion last night when we looked at the polls state by state is that the southern thing is alive and well," said a senior Democratic pollster. The split was also evident in the candidates' strategies in the wake of Tuesday's vote. Mr Kerry and Mr Dean headed north to Washington state, which votes over the weekend, along with Michigan and Maine.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1141351,00.html