Spotlight slips away from Edwards: Kerry attracts crowds, support

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Kirsten Scharnberg and Jill Zuckman
Tribune national correspondents
Published March 2, 2004

TOLEDO, Ohio -- In the waning hours before coast-to-coast election contests on Super Tuesday, the rhythm of the top two Democratic presidential campaigns couldn't have been more telling.

Before boisterous crowds on college campuses and in a Southern concert hall, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts talked about the general election as though the presidential nomination had been decided, promising, "We're going to go right at George Bush."

In contrast, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina made a frenzied dash through Ohio and Georgia, drawing sparse crowds and spending more time answering questions about whether he would drop out of the race than talking about his would-be presidential vision.

Ignoring his fading rival, Kerry sought to sweep all 10 states, which include Democratic strongholds New York and California and swing-state Ohio, and vowed to wage a general election fight against President Bush that would highlight the differences between the increasingly polarized parties.

more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/elections/chi-0403020278mar02,1,950817.story?coll=chi-news-hed