Senator John Kerry squeezed by Senator John Edwards last night to win the Wisconsin Democratic primary which surprisingly turned into a close race. Kerry won with about 40 percent of the vote. Edwards received 34 percent. Polls leading up to the primary showed Kerry had a commanding lead and Edwards coming in a distant third place. Analysts say Edwards won over many voters in the lead-up to primary day by focusing primarily on jobs and trade. The Los Angeles Times is reporting Howard Dean will stop campaigning but will not formally drop out in order to leave his name on the ballot. Last night Dean headed back to his home state of Vermont where he is expected to announced the decision today.
Online Fundraising Helps Dems Win House Seat In Kentucky
In other election news voters in Kentucky elected former state Attorney General Ben Chandler to Congress in the first federal election of 2004. Chandler became the first Democrat since 1991 to win a Republican-held seat in a special election. But the election may become best remembered not for the candidates but the fundraising techniques. Chandler raised over $100,000 in campaign donations from across the country through ads on liberal websites. Writing on the site talkingpointsmemo Joshua Marshall say the election may prove that the Internet can do for Democratic fundraisng what direct-mail solicitations did for the Republican Party. Marshall writes “For the first time in a long time Democrats have a technology, a mechanism that is allowing them to raise large sums of money, not from a few well-heeled givers but from large numbers of energized Democrats.” And many liberal websites have already started raising money for the next special Congressional election which takes place in South Dakota on June 1.