Kerry wins Virginia, Tennessee

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry vanquished his Dixie-bred rivals in Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday, marching toward the Democratic nomination with a Southern sweep that extended his dominance to every region of the country.\nKerry was pocketing about half the vote in Virginia, with John Edwards of North Carolina a poor second and Wesley Clark of Arkansas a far-distant third. Kerry easily beat Edwards and Clark in Tennessee.\nWesley Clark abandoned his presidential bid Tuesday after two third-place finishes in the South.\nThe retired Army general will return to Little Rock Ark., on Wednesday to announce his departure from the race, said a senior advisor, speaking on condition of anonymity.\nThe other major candidate, Howard Dean, had already retreated with his staggering campaign to Wisconsin, site of a Feb. 17 primary. All three major Kerry rivals clung quixotically to the hope that he would stumble on his own or by a scandal.\n"East. West. North. And, today, in the South," a triumphant Kerry told The Associated Press. "It's exciting and gratifying."\nWith the enormous victories, Kerry expanded his primary-season dominance to the last region on his political scorecard. He has won 12 of 14 contests -- on the East and West coasts, in the Midwest, the Great Plains and the Southwest.\nParty leaders began pressing for the nomination fight to end.\n"I think Democrats need to unify behind John Kerry and refocus on winning in November," said former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, who is not tied to any campaign.\nKerry sought to dispatch his rivals with Tuesday's triumphs, a victory next week in Wisconsin or a nail-in-the-coffin showing March 2, when 10 delegate-rich states hold elections.\nIn the AP interview, Kerry said it's not up to him to decide whether his foes should stay in the race.\n"What we showed today is the mainstream values that I've been talking about, fairness and hope and hard work and love of country, are more important than boundaries and birthplace," the Massachusetts senator said.\n"People want change in the country. They want to move forward in a new direction, and I think I'm articulating what that new direction can be," Kerry said. "It's crossing all lines ... without regard to region and other labels."\nWith 99 percent of the vote in Virginia, Kerry had 52 percent, Edwards 27 percent, Clark 9 percent, Dean 7 percent, Al Sharpton 3 percent and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio 1 percent. In Tennessee, with 96 percent reporting, Kerry had 41 percent, Edwards 27 percent, Clark 23 percent, Dean 4 percent and Sharpton 2 percent.\nAn AP analysis shows Kerry has piled up twice as many delegates as his closest pursuer. Counting early results from Tuesday's races, Kerry now has 473 delegates to Dean's 182, with Edwards at 142. A total of 2,162 are needed to nominate.\nVoters in the two states, like those in most of the first dozen contests, said the ability to defeat President Bush was the top quality they sought in a candidate -- and they sided 6-to-1 with Kerry, according to exit polls.\n"Anybody but Bush," said Charles Edwards, 50, of Falls Church, Va., who decided to vote for Kerry as he entered his voting booth. "I'd vote for the devil."\nHalf of the voters said they made up their mind in the last week, many in the last three days, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.\nEight in 10 said they were angry or dissatisfied with Bush, and Kerry finished strong among them.\n"I like the fact that he's a war hero," said Celia Ambrester, 69, of Knoxville, Tenn. Kerry won three Purple hearts, one Bronze star and one Silver star in Vietnam. "We need someone in office who's been in war and knows the issues."\nBush's poll ratings have dropped amid questions about his use of U.S. intelligence in deciding to go to war in Iraq. As Democrats cast their votes, the White House released pay records and other information to answer questions -- echoed by Kerry -- about whether the president fulfilled his Vietnam-era commitment to the National Guard.\nEdwards, a successful trial lawyer before entering politics, tells voters at every stop that he is the only candidate who could beat Texas-reared Bush in his own backyard, the South, yet he was having trouble with a Massachusetts Brahmin in Tennessee and Virginia. No matter the outcome Tuesday, Edwards will remain in the race, aides said, pointing his troubled campaign to Wisconsin and March 2.\nClark, a retired Army general, considered dropping out of the race after pulling off his single victory in Oklahoma. A shutout Tuesday would almost certainly seal his fate.\nThe temptation to stay in the race is strong because the front-runner has not been tested by scandal or miscues thus far in the primary season. Kerry's foes also point out that the crowded election schedule has not left much time for voters to take a second look at the front-runner.\nSome voters were already looking. Bob Casey, 68, of Memphis, Tenn., sided with Clark after calling Kerry a liberal "from back East." Eugene Robinson, 32, of Richmond, Va., voted for Clark because "he wasn't some smarmy politician who was ready to talk about all the laws he's passed and all the committees he's been on."\nThough both Clark and Edwards have denied any interest in a vice presidential nomination, their future viability may come into play as they decide how long to fight Kerry.