US: Exhausted after the New Hampshire primary campaign, the remaining Democratic candidates head south and west today through some of the winter's worst weather to do battle in seven states where voting takes place next Tuesday.
Most will go directly to the key state of South Carolina, where campaigning will be difficult because of an ice storm which has caused several deaths and cut power to hundreds of thousands of households. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts is aiming to amass the most delegates for the Democratic Convention in the seven states: South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona, Oklahoma, Delaware, New Mexico and North Dakota.
A good showing by Senator Kerry on "Super Tuesday" would help combat the view that a northeast liberal cannot do well in the southern and south-western regions of the US. "This is going to be a long process, this nomination," predicted North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who has been favourite to win in South Carolina as the almost-local candidate.
The chairman of the Democratic Party, Mr Terry McAuliffe, has forecast however that after four more weeks of contests, a nominee to face President Bush in November will emerge by March 2nd. On that date 10 states vote, including New York and California. Mr Wesley Clark was scheduled to leave New Hampshire yesterday before the result was announced to get a head start in South Carolina, but Senator John Kerry will travel first to Missouri, the home state of Congressman Dick Gephardt who dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucus.
Few candidates had set up an organisation there on the assumption that Mr Gephardt would win on his home ground. The scramble has begun to win key endorsements in the south, especially that of Mr James Clyburn, the most influential African American politician in South Carolina whose first choice had been Mr Gephardt. Former Vermont governor Mr Howard Dean is expected to focus on Arizona and New Mexico where polls show his support is strong, and maintain a respectable showing in other primaries until his major effort in New York, California and Ohio on March 2nd. Mr Clark is expected to do well in Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico. After the February 3rd contests, Michigan votes on February 7th, Maine on February 8th, Tennessee and Virginia on February 10th and Wisconsin on February 17th.
Mr Dean has spent heavily in New Hampshire and no longer enjoys an overwhelming advantage over his rivals. Mr Clark raised $2 million this month and the Kerry camp raised $1.1 million on the Internet alone since Iowa.