Kerry Adds 4 Southern States to His Wins

John F. Kerry racked up four more wins in Democratic presidential primaries Tuesday, while on the campaign trail he continued to focus his fire on President Bush.

Lopsided victories in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas delivered Kerry a slew of new delegates.

But his support was not universal. North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who pulled out of the race last week, drew 16% of the vote in Louisiana -- enough to pick up a few new delegates.

Edwards’ showing could buoy his prospects as a possible running mate on the Democratic ticket. It also served as a reminder of the challenge facing Kerry in one of the few Southern states that could be competitive in the November election.

Still, with no major Democratic opponents left in the race, Kerry is expected to surpass the 2,162 delegates needed for his party’s nomination when Illinois holds its primary next Tuesday.

In a nod to Illinois’ importance, the Massachusetts senator held his primary night party in Chicago, flying there after a four-day swing through the states that voted Tuesday.

It was the first round of voting in this campaign in which he has not faced any major opposition.

Despite the lack of suspense about the results, more than 1,000 people packed a hall in Chicago’s Union Station to cheer him on, their chants of “Kerry! Kerry!” echoing off the walls.

Kerry saluted the crowd and gave a vigorous thumbs-up as he took the stage. He was joined at the celebration by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Briefly acknowledging his wins, Kerry then looked ahead.

“Next week, Illinois has the opportunity to give me the delegates that actually make me the nominee of the party,” Kerry said as the crowd roared. He added: “I ask for your help: Let’s send George Bush back to Texas and take back the White House!”

After Edwards dropped out of the race, Kerry shifted into general election mode, increasing his criticism of Bush. His weekend schedule includes stops in Pennsylvania and Ohio -- two anticipated battleground states in the general election.

On Tuesday night, Kerry accused Bush of refusing to acknowledge the public’s concerns about education, healthcare and the environment.

“George W. Bush is running on the slogan of ‘steady leadership,’ ” Kerry said. “But I think if you measure the last four years and the failed policies, what you really have is ‘stubborn leadership.’ ”

Many of those who turned out to cheer him said they were looking ahead to November as well.

“I would vote for anybody to get rid of George Bush,” said Barb Marsh, a chemical dependency counselor from Neighborville, Ill.

“You could put a duck up there and I’d support it,” said her friend Lois Carlson, a financial planner from Willowbrook, Ill.

Both women said they thought this year’s race had brought their party together.

“I think Democrats are closer and more unified than we’ve been in a long time,” Marsh said. “I’m excited about politics for the first time in a lot of years.”

Times researcher Susannah Rosenblatt contributed to this report.

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Delegate count

Here is the breakdown of presidential preferences of delegates to the Democratic National Convention. It includes choices by “super delegates,” those not picked through primaries or caucuses and who can change their minds.

Needed to nominate: 2,162

Candidate Delegates

John F. Kerry 1,816

John Edwards* 532

Howard Dean* 180

Wesley K. Clark* 80

Al Sharpton 24

Dennis J. Kucinich 22

Joe Lieberman* 8

Dick Gephardt* 3

Other 1

*Candidates who have dropped out.

Source: Associated Press

Los Angeles Times