Kerry scores big wins in Washington, Michigan

3.00pm

DETROIT - Democratic front-runner John Kerry rolled to decisive wins in Michigan and Washington state today, extending his domination of the presidential race and moving a step closer to the nomination.

Kerry, a Massachusetts senator and decorated Vietnam veteran, cruised to easy double-digit victories in Michigan and Washington, the two biggest states to vote so far, giving him nine wins in the first 11 nominating contests.

With three more states voting in the next three days, Kerry's momentum threatens to swamp all five of his rivals vying for the right to challenge President Bush in November.

Kerry sounded like he already was looking ahead to the general election during a campaign swing through Tennessee and Virginia on Saturday, where he promised he could win in the South.

At a state party dinner in Virginia, he lashed out at Bush for running an "extreme administration" that was trying to smear him, and promised it would not work.

"They're extreme. We're mainstream -- and we're going to stand up and fight back," he said in remarks prepared for delivery.

His one-time chief rival, the former front-runner Howard Dean, suffered another huge setback today when one of the three unions that backed his campaign last fall withdrew its support.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees backed away from the former Vermont governor after union President Gerald McEntee and leaders of the other two unions met with Dean in Burlington, Vermont.

"We respect President McEntee and we will work hard to earn the support of AFSCME members in Wisconsin next week," said Dean, who has squandered big leads in the polls and a record bank account while targeting the Feb. 17 contest in Wisconsin for a possible final stand.

A total of 204 delegates to July's nominating convention were at stake in Michigan and Washington, the first of five states to vote in the presidential race in quick succession. Maine will hold caucuses on Sunday, and Tennessee and Virginia will hold primaries on Tuesday.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards are aiming at Virginia and Tennessee, where they hope wins will position them to emerge as the chief rival of Kerry.

QUICK END TO CAMPAIGN

But a Kerry sweep would put all of his rivals at jeopardy heading into the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17, when Kerry could wrap up the race.

Michigan and Washington, two strongly Democratic states, had been pegged as key battlegrounds in the nomination fight but Kerry's surge forced his rivals to abandon them and set their sights elsewhere.

Clark and Edwards both skipped visits to either state this week to focus on Tuesday's contests in Virginia and Tennessee. Dean had made some appearances in Michigan and Washington but pulled out to concentrate on making a potential last stand in Wisconsin.

Kerry, a four-term senator, ended any questions about the breadth of his support with wins last Tuesday in Arizona, North Dakota, Delaware, Missouri and New Mexico. But victories in Virginia and Tennessee could end doubts about whether a son of Massachusetts can compete in the South.

"I'm not worried about coming down South and talking to people about jobs and schools and health care and the environment," Kerry told supporters at a rally at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

"I think it's them (the Bush administration) who ought to worry about coming down here and talking to people about the things that they haven't done," he said.

Kerry, whose candidacy was given up for dead a month ago, has seen his fortunes rise as voters have re-examined whether the candidates would be able to beat Bush.

On the campaign trail, he has hammered away at his theme of driving the special interests out of the White House and providing a more experienced hand on foreign policy and national security.

Michigan and Washington, with 128 and 76 delegates at stake respectively, are his two biggest wins.

- REUTERS