Reply #30: If Clark had entered earlier, he would have been in Iowa also

[Tom Rinaldo]

We all know that. NH voters were predisposed to support favorite sons Dean and Kerry in NH. It is remarkable that Clark closed completely on Kerry briefly in NH, that was the real race there, not with Dean. Kerry got many votes that would have gone to Clark in Iowa had Clark been there, being the only Vet with National security experience running there. Once Kerry regained his luster in Iowa, many New Hampshire voters who had long known and liked neighboring state Kerry returned to him after moving over to Clark when Kerry seemed nonviable. Still, with no Iowa momentum, Clark did marginally better than Edwards in NH. Sure NH was a disappointment for Clark. He did not count on both Dean and Gephardt collapsing in Iowa. Absolutely no one saw that combination coming. It was Gephardt falling apart that freed up so many votes for the alternate candidates besides Dean and Kerry. Edwards was there to benefit, and Clark was not. Such is politics.