The Next Stop for Democrats: Tuesday, in Seven More States

Even before the votes from New Hampshire were tallied Tuesday night, the Democratic presidential contenders were quickly reconfiguring their strategies and preparing for another feverish week of campaigning that will culminate in seven caucuses and primaries.

A complex and fragmented playing field awaits the seven Democrats, who will be pushing on from a small, mostly white state to, among others, Southern and Southwestern states with substantial minority populations.

While the major candidates intend to compete in all of Tuesday’s contests, the limited time and money at their disposal means that each is likely to target only a few of the states, hoping for at least one or two strong finishes to propel their candidacies onward.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark -- both raised in the South -- are headed for a showdown in South Carolina. But Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts -- New Hampshire’s winner -- also will try for a strong showing there.

Much of Kerry’s effort, however, will be concentrated on Missouri, where 74 delegates to the Democratic National Convention are at stake -- the most among next week’s contests. Today, his campaign will become the first to air television ads in the state.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean planned to focus on Arizona and New Mexico. Arizona, in particular, also may evolve into a hard-fought battle among several candidates, including Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

“It seems the pressure is on everyone, other than John Kerry, now to show that they can win somewhere and to prove that they still have a chance to win the Democratic nomination,” said Stuart Rothenberg, publisher of a Washington-based nonpartisan guide to campaigns and elections.

Other states with contests Tuesday are Delaware, Oklahoma and North Dakota. A total of 269 delegates -- of the 2,162 needed for the Democratic nomination -- will be up for grabs that day.

Few of the Democrats wasted any time moving on from New Hampshire. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who received only a fractional vote in New Hampshire, has been campaigning in South Carolina in recent days. Tuesday night, Edwards and Clark were flying to South Carolina. And all the candidates but Dean planned to be on the road today.

Dean was to spend the day at home in Vermont, but relaxation was not on his agenda. He planned at least four hours of television interviews, via satellite, with stations in states set to vote Feb. 3.

Kerry made it clear that Missouri was one of his top targets by scheduling St. Louis as his first stop today. One of his commercials in the state will feature his service in Vietnam; another will lash out at special interests he contends have corrupted Washington politics.

Edwards added two stops in Missouri, in Springfield and St. Louis, to his schedule today. After starting in South Carolina, he also will campaign in Oklahoma.

Missouri had been largely overlooked because it was assumed it would be carried by its native son, Rep. Dick Gephardt. But Gephardt dropped out of the presidential race after his poor showing in last week’s Iowa caucuses.

Kerry and Edwards, the first and second finishers in Iowa, quickly picked up Gephardt staffers in Missouri. The two also appeared to have the best prospect of winning Gephardt’s support, if the former House Democratic leader endorses anyone.

Before Missouri came into play, South Carolina loomed as next week’s key primary. The state not only provides the first test of strength in the South but among African Americans, the most loyal of Democratic constituencies. Blacks could account for as many as half of the votes in South Carolina.

Edwards has promised for months that he would win the state, where he was born and has campaigned extensively.

When he travels the state, he reminds voters he is “the son of a millworker.” That message may play well in the economically distressed state, which has lost jobs for three years running for the first time since the Depression.

Edwards held a narrow lead in two recent polls, although Kerry has been coming on, followed closely by Clark and Dean. Sharpton, who is African American, could be a significant factor in the race.

Clark, a native of Arkansas, has banked heavily on breaking through in South Carolina, a state with several military bases and a large population of veterans. But the career officer’s plans for the state -- and his reliance on backing from veterans -- were upstaged when Kerry assumed the frontrunner’s mantle with his Iowa and New Hampshire victories.

Clark has been on South Carolina television more than any other candidate recently; Lieberman also has spent heavily on ads there.

In Arizona, with 55 delegates at stake, Dean had been leading in the polls. But in a recent survey, Kerry led by a small margin over Clark.

Kerry has the largest paid staff in the state, 30. But Dean has dispatched 300 volunteers from California. Clark, meanwhile, has been spending the most on television ads.

Some Arizonans speculate that their state will set the tone for what is to follow.

“It’s the first test of the West and of the Latino community, and it also has no favorite son,” said Paul Hegarty, executive director of Arizona’s Democratic Party. “This is the first time they go head to head where there is no one controlling factor. You have to put together a good, diverse coalition.”

In recent days, Clark has advertised the most in the states voting Tuesday, but Kerry intended to be on TV in all seven by today, his campaign said.

That new presence and his momentum from New Hampshire could provide enough of a “bump” to help him forge ahead in Oklahoma, state Democratic operatives said.

New Mexico, Delaware and North Dakota provide smaller delegate prizes, but the candidates will make at least a token effort in each.

New Mexico, which is holding caucuses, appears up for grabs. It will attract attention in part because of its heavily Latino population.

Lieberman, the former vice presidential candidate who has struggled to catch hold, will stop first today in Oklahoma, insisting his fifth-place finish won’t end his campaign.

Clark and Kerry have committed to traveling to sparsely populated North Dakota, which is conducting caucuses.