Two-Man Race For Super Tuesday

With Howard Dean out of the race, the two leading Democrats still running for president are focusing their attention on March 2's Super Tuesday, when ten states head to the polls on the biggest day of the primary season.

Front-runner John Kerry was campaigning Wednesday in Ohio, one of the March 2 states, fresh off his closer-than-expected win over John Edwards in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary.

"Every race is going to be contested. Every race," Kerry said. "We're fighting for every vote."

Kerry punched back on Edwards' criticisms of his free-trade policies Wednesday after allowing them to go unanswered in Wisconsin.

"He wasn't in the Senate back then," Kerry said, alluding to Edwards' relative lack of experience. "I don't know where he registered his vote, but it wasn't in the Senate."

The 19-year Senate veteran said he and Edwards have similar trade records, a reference to the North Carolina senator's support for a China trade deal. Edwards, a trial lawyer who shines in debates, may demand a series of one-on-one forums with Kerry, aides said.

Edwards plans to persist in his criticism of Kerry's free-trade policies, targeting Ohio, New York and Georgia with television ads.

For Edwards, second place in Wisconsin was a boon to a campaign that was not expected to survive a weak finish. He promised to campaign across the country and contended his organization was in strong shape financially.

"The voters of Wisconsin sent a clear message," Edwards said Tuesday night. "The message was this: Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear."

The Democratic race makes a pit stop next week in Hawaii, Idaho and Utah — where just 61 delegates are at stake — before turning to March 2.

The March 2 contests are in California, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, Vermont, Georgia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland. At stake will be 1,151 delegates, more than half the total needed to claim the nomination.

Aides say Edwards' populist message will resonate in Ohio and upstate New York, areas hard hit by job losses. The Southern-bred candidate also should do well in Georgia. California is by far the day's biggest prize, with 370 delegates, followed by New York with 236.

In the final days of the Wisconsin race, Edwards criticized Kerry's support for NAFTA. The message found a receptive audience: In exit polls, three-fourths of voters said trade with other countries takes jobs from their state.

Edwards and Kerry split the vote among those voters, though the North Carolina senator did better than the front-runner among voters who cited the economy and jobs as top issues.

Kerry repeatedly told the state's voters that he would review all trade agreements upon taking office, seeking to protect labor and environmental standards. His position has satisfied labor unions, and the AFL-CIO plans to endorse Kerry on Thursday.

Edwards finished far better in Wisconsin than pre-primary polls suggested he would, his surge fueled by the highest Republican turnout of the primary season and voters who made up their minds in the last week. His deepest support was in the GOP suburbs of Milwaukee.

"It's obvious from the exit polling here in Wisconsin that I was much more appealing to independent voters and moderate Republicans, and we have to get these people to win the general election," Edwards told CBS News Anchor Dan Rather.

The strong GOP turnout was boosted by city government elections in Milwaukee and a controversial referendum on casino gambling by an Indian tribe.

Primaries in Georgia, Ohio and Vermont on March 2 will be open to all voters as will the caucuses in Minnesota.

Kerry has won 15 of the 17 Democratic contests this year, but he failed to push his chief rival from the race Tuesday night. He settled for the departure of Dean, the former Vermont governor who quit Wednesday after failing to win a single contest.

"I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency," Dean told supporters in Burlington, Vt. He vowed, however, "to continue the effort to transform the Democratic Party and to change our country."

The former Vermont governor sounded a theme of party unity, saying, "The bottom line is that we must beat George W. Bush in November, whatever it takes."

His campaign reached out to Edwards' team, knowing that Dean's fund-raising prowess could help reshape the race, aides said. But they did not rule out Dean endorsing Kerry, a move they said would seal the nomination for the Massachusetts lawmaker.

Both remaining candidates had kinds words for their departing rival. Edwards told the CBS News Early Show that Dean has "made an enormous contribution to this campaign, bringing in lots of people who otherwise wouldn't have been involved, particularly young people."

Kerry, a frequent target of Dean attacks on the campaign trail, said, "It's impossible not to express admiration and respect for the campaigning that he's put together and what he's achieved."

He added that he doesn't hold a grudge for anything Dean said about him during the campaign.

The Democratic race once had 10 candidates, but the field is now down to four, including Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton, two candidates who haven't won a single contest.