Tuesday's set of presidential primaries -- the second in two weeks -- promises to help set the final tone in the battle for the Democratic nomination. Seven states will hold caucuses or primary elections, and over 260 convention delegate votes are at stake.
The Feb. 3, or "mini-Super Tuesday," events take place in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Arizona, Missouri and Delaware, which hold primaries, and New Mexico and North Dakota, which hold caucuses. The wide geographic distribution of these states is expected to challenge candidates who depend on regional clusters of support and to reward those who offer mass appeal.
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry enters this week as the front-runner after winning decisive victories in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. These victories have allowed Kerry to recover the initiative in a race that he had been losing as recently as one month ago. Kerry has been campaigning in all seven states since his New Hampshire victory, and recent polls suggest that he is making progress. A CNN/Los Angeles Times poll released Feb. 1 indicated that Kerry was leading or contending for the lead in all seven states.
Former front-runner Howard Dean is focusing his efforts on key states in which he believes that he can maximize his chances to win on Tuesday. Despite this selective campaigning, the CNN/LA Times poll revealed that Dean was only beginning to achieve double-digit support in Arizona, the state where Dean's campaign has said he will make his strongest showing. Despite his impressive early fundraising efforts, Dean is said to be low on money. The Dean campaign has asked its employees to forego payment for two weeks, and it has reduced or eliminated its television ads in many key primary areas.
Former Gen. Wesley Clark is hoping to challenge Kerry in several key southern and western states. After Clark's late entry into the presidential race, he was forced to run a selective campaign in several target regions. Although Clark spent heavily in New Hampshire, his third-place finish here found him trailing both Dean and Kerry by decisive margins. Moreover, Clark's statistical dead heat with fourth-placed North Carolina Sen. John Edwards prevented the former NATO commander from emerging as a clear top-three candidate. Clark is hoping to perform particularly well in Arizona, where he is running a competitive second to Kerry.
Edwards' campaign received a substantial lift from its unexpected second place finish in Iowa, but that victory failed to translate into New Hampshire success. Now, Edwards hopes to win South Carolina in order to advance to the next round of primaries. Some observers believe that a strong showing on Tuesday could give Edwards a legitimate claim to the vice-presidential nomination, should he choose to abandon his own bid for the presidency.
Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman skipped Iowa, finished fifth in New Hampshire and does not appear to be running strong in any mini-Super Tuesday state. Lieberman, who received 9 percent of the New Hampshire vote, declared himself to be in a virtual tie for third, despite the fact that the actual third-place finisher, Clark, received 13 percent and fourth-placed Edwards received 12 percent.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and New York-based community activist Al Sharpton are not expected to contend for outright victories in any states, although Sharpton could play a spoiler role in South Carolina, where he has made a concerted effort to attract the large African American voter base.
