Democrats Still Vying For Label Of Leader

[Larkspur]

from The Hartford Courant
http://www.ctnow.com/news/politics/hc-dems0929.artsep29,1,7915029.story?coll=hc-headlines-politics

Howard Dean and his estimated $10 million-plus haul of campaign cash will probably be the week's big political headline.

But all he is likely to win is the day. Despite the press attention and polls that might indicate otherwise, the Democratic presidential race has had no obvious front-runner, let alone a breakout star, and is likely to continue that way for a while.

"No one has distinguished in a way that's resonated with the Democratic electorate," said G. Evans Witt, president of Princeton Survey Research Associates.

Witt's poll briefly vaulted retired Gen. Wesley Clark into star status last week, when the latest presidential entrant inched ahead of the other Democrats.

But no one, not even Clark, is boasting the race is inexorably turning his way. There are too many candidates - at Thursday's debate, it was not uncommon for someone to figuratively disappear for 20 minutes - and there are too many variables.
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I find it interesting that Dean's smashing of Clinton's fundraising record will only last a day. It will send out shock waves and who knows who'll join Dean's campaign because he got stronger, not weaker, during the worse QTR to fundraise. And Dean's base of fundraising grew wider, not narrower for the next QTR.

Lieberman is only expected to garner $5 million and Dean beats that by more than 2 times. Maybe, just in Connecticut, Dean's record smashing fundraising drive will be one-day news.