Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • Page 1

3- 1 1 'Scramble mode' Alford, Hawks prepare for player shortage, IB Flu shot clinic VNA offers first clinic since vaccine shortage, 3A 1 i i TjT IOWA CITY TdOy, 1L jit Road White House THE IOWA CAUCUSES few mm Johnson County sees record turnout Democratic official: Gephardt to drop out Edwards finishes a strong second Johnson County voters select Kerry Statewide caucus results 1,963 of 1,993 precincts reporting or 98 percent John Kerry 1,128 38 John Edwards 954 32 Howard Dean -540 18 I -xtt Dick Gephardt 318 11 a Jaw 1 Vj Washington PostL.A. Times DES MOINES iding a late surge of support, Sea John F. Kerry scored a fl commanding come-I 11 from-behind victory Monday night in the Iowa Democratic caucuses, with Sen. John Edwards coming in a strong second. The votes dethroned former Vermont Gov.

Howard Dean, who came in a distant third, from the near-invincible position he had seemed to enjoy at the start of the year, and promised a wild and wide-open race for the Democrats in the weeks ahead. After months in which Dean's insurgent candidacy, fueled by his early opposition to the Iraq war and his denunciations of President Bush and "Washington Democrats" alike, seemed to dominate the Democratic contests, the Iowa results amounted to a validation for two polished and more conventional candidates. Kerry's sprint pays off With nearly all the precincts counted, Kerry won 38 percent of the delegates selected, with 32 percent for Edwards. Dean's 18 percent was less than half of Kerry's total, while the 11 percent scored by Rep. Dick Gephardt put an end to a candidacy that never managed to tike flight Kerry's sprint of campaigning in the final days left him voiceless and forced to cancel his daytime schedule here.

But he recovered enough of his vocal cords Monday night to address his ecstatic supiwters. Calling himself "Comeback Kerry," he noted how "not so long ago this campaign was written off." "Last night, the New England Patriots won. Tonight, this New Englander won, and you've sent me on the way to the Super Bowl," he said. Near record turnout A dramatic homestretch, and vivid stylistic contrasts between the main contenders, prompted Iowans to turn out in possibly record numbers to the state's nearly 2,000 caucus locations. The Democratic record for attendance was 125,000 caucus-goers in 1988, and party officials said early in the evening that they were on track to match or beat that figure: The Democratic contest pivots immediately to New Hampshire Dean, Edwards and Kerry all departed Iowa on overnight flights for that state's first-in-the-nation primary next week.

Because the New Hampshire electorate The Associated Press Presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry acknowledges the crowd at a victory party Monday in Des Moines after he was declared the winner of the; Iowa caucuses. Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is on the left. 4 11,169 attend local caucuses 4 pages of coverage inside As the campaign spotlight turns from Iowa today, political experts say Iowans should be secure in the expectation that the cam-eras will again be rolling come 2008, 7A. Over the echoing melody of a live accordion and random bursts of applause and cheers, nearly 300 Democrats in North Liberty precincts 1 and 2 gathered Monday, 7A.

Instead of candidates, Johnson County Republicans turned their attention to key issues at Monday night's caucuses to help shape the party platform, 7A. Rep. Dick Gephardt conceded defeat in the Democratic presidential race Monday night after a weak fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and aides said he would fly home to make a formal withdrawal, 8A. It wasn't Martin Luther King Day or the freezing temperatures that motivated Jim Harris to close Prairie Lights Books early Monday night, 9A. The political spotlight is switching to New Hampshire.

And the race there is tightening, just as it had in Iowa, 10A. Kerry regains momentum with win The Associated Press DES MOINES Sen. John Kerry's startling victory in the Iowa caucuses was a comeback for the ages, a late surge that remade the Democratic presidential race at the first turn. On a fiercely cold winter's night, Iowa's grassroots Democrats also raised doubts about the staying power of Howard Dean's anti-establishment campaign, encouraged John Edwards to fight on and dealt Dick Gephardt out of the race. The winnowing continues next week in New Hampshire, where the Iowa survivors and Sen.

Joseph Lieberman and Wesley Clark clash in the first-in- See ANALYSIS, 10A Ik By Vanessa Miller Iowa City Press-Citizen At 7 p.m., a half-hour after the presidential caucuses were supposed to convene across Iowa, a line of not-yet-registered Democrats extended outside the gymnasium doors at the North Liberty Community Center. This is a heavy turnout by anybody's measure," said Dave Franker, North Liberty Precinct 1 chairman, while working to speed first-timers and non-registered participants inside. This is very rewarding and exciting to see so many people." And the remarkable participation numbers weren't limited to North Liberty. In Jolinson County's 57 Democratic precincts, 11,169 people attended, Press-Citizen Jason A. Cook Sen.

John Edwards, supporters pass out signs before the caucus Monday at Lincoln Elementary School in Iowa City. nearly doubling the 6,000 tested caucus in 2002. high school government expected and nearly tripling In Johnson County, John teacher we did a lot of the 4,200 who came out for Kerry won 35.3 percent of getting out and voting stuff," the 2000 caucuses. The the delegates selected, with said Kristina Sosa, 18, who Republican precincts drew 28.7 percent for Howard attended her first Iowa cau- 250 to 300 participants, Dean and 26.3 percent for which party officials said is John Edwards. more than the last uncon- "I'm here because of my See COUNTY, 10A See KERRY, 10A Index ISBs3T takes the so you don't have to.

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