Tuesday, February 03, 2004
A good night for Edwards
Edwards did nicely tonight. His win in South Carolina was solid - a good 15 points about Kerry. He did well enough in Missouri, even though he spent less time there than Kerry, winning a quarter of the vote. And, importantly, he virtually tied Clark for first in Oklahoma. His campaign is hampered by limited resources and still doesn't have the big guns that Kerry, Dean and even Clark have managed to pick up. And he was clearly the best performer of the night after Kerry.
Kerry had the advantage of momentum and money, and performed well enough, particularly in the crucial Southwest. But he may regret not chasing Edwards more in South Carolina. Edwards can now turn his attention to playing away from his base, and may want to try his luck in Michigan, which will be the early jackpot of the campaign. Also, he may want to try in Wisconsin. After demonstrating his competitiveness in the South, competing in the Midwest is probably the next most important thing for him.
It was not Dean's night, and it prompts the old saying of "nothing ventured, nothing gained." He may have shown voters that he didn't really take an interest in their states, and they rewarded him in kind. This makes him worse off for the next round at the end of the week. FOX News noted that he conspicuously failed to praise his competitors, although that may have been spin on their part. Clark's campaign may just barely be alive at this point, although he did finish a respectable second in Arizona, North Dakota and New Mexico.
And finally, Lieberman. He bowed out with class, just as his campaign was sputtering to a halt. It wasn't his year the way that 2000 was, but the Democrats of the Senate will benefit from having him around, and he'll be an asset to whoever the nominee is.
Edwards did nicely tonight. His win in South Carolina was solid - a good 15 points about Kerry. He did well enough in Missouri, even though he spent less time there than Kerry, winning a quarter of the vote. And, importantly, he virtually tied Clark for first in Oklahoma. His campaign is hampered by limited resources and still doesn't have the big guns that Kerry, Dean and even Clark have managed to pick up. And he was clearly the best performer of the night after Kerry.
Kerry had the advantage of momentum and money, and performed well enough, particularly in the crucial Southwest. But he may regret not chasing Edwards more in South Carolina. Edwards can now turn his attention to playing away from his base, and may want to try his luck in Michigan, which will be the early jackpot of the campaign. Also, he may want to try in Wisconsin. After demonstrating his competitiveness in the South, competing in the Midwest is probably the next most important thing for him.
It was not Dean's night, and it prompts the old saying of "nothing ventured, nothing gained." He may have shown voters that he didn't really take an interest in their states, and they rewarded him in kind. This makes him worse off for the next round at the end of the week. FOX News noted that he conspicuously failed to praise his competitors, although that may have been spin on their part. Clark's campaign may just barely be alive at this point, although he did finish a respectable second in Arizona, North Dakota and New Mexico.
And finally, Lieberman. He bowed out with class, just as his campaign was sputtering to a halt. It wasn't his year the way that 2000 was, but the Democrats of the Senate will benefit from having him around, and he'll be an asset to whoever the nominee is.
