Democratic race now built around challenging Kerry
Dean e-mail: Wisconsin primary is a must-win contest
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Wesley Clark speaks at a campaign event.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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PORTLAND, Maine (CNN) -- With more caucuses on the horizon, Sen. John Kerry came under increasing fire Thursday from Democratic rivals and the Republican Party, even as he picked up more endorsements in his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The Republican National Committee circulated a news article that raised questions about Kerry's involvement in a controversial multibillion dollar construction project in his native state of Massachusetts.
And, for the second day in a row, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, campaigning in Tennessee, dismissed Kerry, a 19-year veteran of the Senate from Massachusetts, and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina as "Washington insiders."
For his part, Kerry brushed off questions about the construction project, dubbed "Big Dig," which involves a new highway system around Boston, much of it underground or underwater.
An Associated Press article from Thursday said that in 2000 Kerry blocked a provision that would have closed an insurance loophole related to the project.
The loophole, according to the article, had resulted in about $129 million in worker compensation and liability insurance overpayments. The article went on to note subsequent insurance company donations to a Kerry political committee that helps Democratic candidates.
The Republican National Committee circulated copies of the article Thursday under its own headline of "Cash and Kerry."
Terry Holt, President Bush's campaign press secretary, suggested Kerry's action in the construction project undercut his message that he would take on Washington's special interests.
"There's a bit of hypocrisy in John Kerry's message," Holt said on "Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics."
Talking to reporters in Maine, which is holding caucuses Sunday, Kerry said his actions amounted to a defense of a project important to his state.
"The entire congressional delegation, every single member, fought to hold onto $150 million for the Big Dig, which is the most important single project in Massachusetts and New England, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with the [insurance] industry," Kerry said.
His campaign got some good news late Thursday when Democratic Party sources said Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, would give Kerry his endorsement at a Friday event in Michigan, which holds caucuses Saturday.
Polls show Kerry far ahead in Michigan, and the endorsement could further solidify his position, especially among union voters, with whom Gephardt has long had strong support.
Earlier in the day, Kerry picked up endorsements from former Sen. George Mitchell of Maine, and Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, both of Michigan.
The campaign also reported a boost in fund raising, netting about $5 million since January 1, about half of that coming from online donations.
Campaign events were unfolding on both coasts Thursday, from Washington state to Virginia, Maine, Michigan and Tennessee, ahead of weekend caucuses and Tuesday primaries. (CNN.com's interactive Election Calendar)
Now engaged in chasing Kerry, whose lead was boosted by five victories Tuesday, are former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Edwards and Clark, all of whom have launched new campaign fronts.
Each of the three candidates is presenting himself as the alternative, with a fresh message about who could win a general election against Bush.
Dean -- who has yet to place first in any of the nine states in which voters have expressed their preferences -- told supporters that the February 17 Democratic primary in Wisconsin is a must-win contest. Without victory there, his campaign won't survive, Dean said.
"The entire race has come down to this: We must win Wisconsin," Dean told supporters in a fund-raising e-mail.(Full story)
To that end, Dean canceled the rest of his Thursday events in Michigan and left abruptly for Wisconsin. Before leaving, Dean told supporters in Flint that he was the only Democrat who could shake things up in the nation's capital.
"Do you want a little change or a lot of change?" Dean asked. "If you want a lot of change, you've got to go out and vote for Howard Dean on Saturday in the Michigan caucuses."
Southern focus
Edwards and Clark each picked up a victory in Tuesday's seven contests. Edwards won his native state of South Carolina handily, and Clark apparently barely edged out Edwards in Oklahoma. (Interactive: Tuesday's contests at a glance)
Edwards and Clark both campaigned Thursday in Tennessee, whose primary is Tuesday.
Edwards talked about his plan to create jobs, and Clark told an audience of his personal opposition to abortion. At the same time, Clark said he would uphold Roe. v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.
Clark also talked about his own religious roots in Tennessee, a state considered part of the Bible Belt. "I did accept the Lord as my savior when I was 5 years old," Clark said.
In another development in the Clark campaign, most of his staff will forgo pay for a week in order to pay for ads in Tennessee, a senior Clark campaign aide told CNN.
With 250 staffers giving up a week's pay, nearly $250,000 will be saved. The decision was made in a vote by the staff. The campaign aide said field workers in Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin will continue to be paid.
The campaign aide said Clark's fund raising on the Internet spiked after his success in Oklahoma. The campaign expected to raise about $120,000 in the 24-hour period that ended midnight Wednesday.
The campaign hopes Clark's success in Oklahoma will spread eastward into more of the South.
But Edwards considers the South "my back yard" -- and the senator has banked his viability on his popularity there. He promises at every campaign stop to beat Bush among Southern voters in the November general election.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said several weeks ago that any candidate who had not won a primary or caucus by February 3 should consider dropping out of the campaign.
Dean, Rep. Dennis Kucinich and the Rev. Al Sharpton -- all still in the race -- now fit into that category. But both have vowed to stay in the race.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
