"John F. Kerry prevailed, Howard Dean survived...
...Kerry backers said they were pleased that Dean may appear to be his chief rival, believing that the Vermonter's appeal, as measured in exit polls, is concentrated among vehement opponents of the Iraq war and a highly educated liberal elite -- two groups that will be less prominent in states such as South Carolina, Missouri, Arizona and Michigan, which now loom on the campaign horizon.
That is emphatically the case in Missouri, the state with the largest contingent of delegates next Tuesday, party leader Roy Temple said. "If this is a two-person race between Kerry and Dean," he said, "there's not much question which way Missouri would go. People are focused on who can win and who can carry this state, and Kerry looks strong."
Also: "...The last two Democrats to sweep Iowa and New Hampshire in contested races were Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Al Gore in 2000 -- and both went on to win the nomination. Donna Brazile, Gore's campaign manager, said that after a few more weeks of infighting, "I think Kerry sweeps them all under the rug. He has shown he can pull the party together, and I don't see any other candidate doing it."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54223-2004Jan27.html