Kerry wins close vote in Wisconsin

John Kerry squeezed out victory in Wisconsin, barely holding off hard-charging rival John Edwards who established himself as the front-runner's sole rival as the Democratic presidential race thunders toward a 10-state showdown March 2.

Howard Dean trailed far behind, winless in 17 contests, his candidacy doomed less than a month after he stood atop the Democratic field. The fallen front-runner retreated to Vermont, where he will consider several options, including endorsing one of his rivals, advisers said.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Kerry had 40 percent, Edwards had 35 percent, Dean 18 percent, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio 3 percent and Al Sharpton 2 percent.

Close race or not, Kerry said, "A win is a win."

Edwards, his dream of a head-to-head matchup now a reality, declared, "We'll go full-throttle to the next group of states."

He pledged to campaign in each of the 10 states holding primaries or caucuses March 2, including California, New York and Ohio, and awarding 1,151 delegates, more than half the total needed to claim the nomination.

GOP support

The North Carolina lawmaker's breakout was fueled by the highest Republican turnout of the primary season and voters who made their decision in the last week. His deepest support was in the GOP suburbs of Milwaukee.

"That's been happening in other primaries too," Edwards said. "Republicans who would consider voting Democratic and independents are the people we have to win over to win the general election. That's why I'm the best candidate to take on George Bush."

Kerry held a wide lead in pre-election polls, but the surveys did not fully reflect voter sentiments after a statewide debate Sunday, Edwards' criticism of Kerry's free-trade policies and two newspaper endorsements for Edwards. Nor did the polls take into account 11th-hour attacks on Kerry from President Bush's re-election team.

"We underwent a lot of Republican attacks the last week," Kerry said. "Notwithstanding those attacks, we showed we can fight back."

Kerry won 15 of the 17 elections to date -- seven by nearly half the vote -- on the East and West coasts, in the Midwest, the Great Plains and the Southwest. He remains the undisputed front-runner, flush with money and momentum.

But the Edwards surprise ended any hope for a quick conclusion to the race and earlier-than-ever general election planning. A poor second-place showing would have crippled Edwards' campaign.

Dean, the former Vermont governor, ignored pleas to give up the fight. "We are not done," he told his supporters, even as his own advisers were saying his campaign for the presidency was effectively over.

Dean was heading back to Vermont to regroup, in search of a way to convert his political network into a movement that helps elect Democrats.