Strong turnout for caucuses — and Kerry

By Seattle Times staff and wire reports

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Kerry, who surged late in the campaign here, turned back Dean in a liberal-leaning state that had been touted as one of Dean's last chances to restart his sputtering presidential bid.

"It just goes to show what political momentum can do for you, and Sen. Kerry has the momentum right now," conceded Dean's state campaign spokesman, Steve Haro.

With 80 percent of the state's 6,552 precincts reporting, Kerry was rolling up 49 percent of the pledged delegates elected to county conventions. That was well ahead of Dean, who had 30 percent.

Dennis Kucinich was third at 8 percent and John Edwards was close behind at 7 percent. Wesley Clark and an uncommitted slate had 3 percent apiece. Al Sharpton barely registered.

Many caucus sites reported unusually heavy turnout, with activists drawn by the spirited clash between Kerry, the Massachusetts senator who is odds-on favorite for the nomination, and Dean, the former Vermont governor who had considered Washington one of his strongest states, and a must win for his flagging campaign.

The victory was Kerry's eighth out of 10 states. Michigan followed later today with another win for Kerry. Maine scheduled caucuses for Sunday, with the Kerry camp expecting a sweep.

Dean had stumped in Washington, but some aides said he was downplaying his chances in the final 72 hours and framing the Wisconsin primary as his do-or-die moment.

Haro, though, said Dean fought tooth-and-nail and expected to win here.

"The Dean campaign fought here until the very last minute before the caucuses started," he said in an interview. "Am I surprised? Yes.

"But, hey, don't write our obituary yet. This thing ain't over yet."
 
Kerry's campaign credited his showing to massive defections by Dean followers, endorsements by Gov. Gary Locke and other party leaders, and Kerry's stand on issues of concern to Washington voters.

"John Kerry has shown he can win and that he can take on George W. Bush," exulted Ali Wade, chairwoman of Kerry's Washington campaign. "I certainly never expected to be in this position just a few weeks ago."

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., the state's senior Democrat in Washington, D.C., said the victory seals Kerry's nomination.

"I think he's got the nomination wrapped up and I think the ticket will be a prohibitive favorite in our state in November," he said in an interview. "Across this state, there was just a tremendous desire for a winner, a feeling that we've just got to beat Bush.

"So they made this shift to Kerry. The switch (from Dean) was out there and it was just palpable of the last 10 days, the biggest change in momentum I've ever seen."

Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio, also targeted the state's anti-war and environmental constituencies.

More than 200 people showed up at Chase Middle School in Spokane's affluent South Hill neighborhood. Participants jammed around folding lunch tables and some had to stand.

"I'm overwhelmed and overjoyed by the turnout," said Hugh Davis, chairman of the 6th Legislative District Democrats.

"Wow! It's crazy," said state Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt, who hosted two precinct meetings in his Olympia home. He said it was wall-to-wall people, 86 in all — "and not one squawk of complaint from anyone."

Berendt had endorsed Dean, as had other party establishment leaders, but Locke and most of the state's Democratic congressional delegation had signed on to Kerry's late-blooming campaign.

The Seattle Labor Temple was packed by hundreds of participants, with a line snaking out the door and down the block and hundreds more waited to get inside. Organizers were scrambling to find space for everyone after all the preset tables were filled.

About 100 people from 11 precincts gathered at Renton Carpenter's Hall, where participants good-naturedly debated the merits of each candidate.

"We want a winner, that's the main thing," said Don Moreland, 67, a manager at Skyway Luggage. "The thing I like about Kerry is that he has a military background. He understands what war is about, and there is a great sentiment among Democrats to pull out of an unjust war."

Meanwhile, Dean loyalists stuck up for the man they argue has "put the spine back in the Democratic Party," as Renate Strauss put it in an impassioned plea to the 250-plus Democrats who crammed the cafeteria at Bellevue High School yesterday morning.

"He's been villified by the media. It's not fair to eliminate a candidate of Dr. Dean's stature because the media has labeled him too angry," Strauss said.

But more people appeared swayed by Kerry's recent surge, and by the time the votes were tallied, Kerry had 110 votes to Dean's 77 among the 22 caucuses at Bellevue High School.

State Senator Margarita Prentice, D-Seattle, said she was sticking with Howard Dean, even though he has yet to win a caucus.

"It was health care that did it for me," she said. Howard Dean is a doctor and I find his thoughts on health care right on target. I have been a nurse for 50 years and I can tell you his plans make sense."

Washington called off its presidential primaries this year, and both parties are using Iowa-style caucuses.

Typically, caucuses attract only the most politically active, with perhaps 20,000 people attending. A state party spokeswoman, Kirstin Brost, estimated the turnout for today's caucuses could top the 100,000 mark for the first time.

All eyes were on Dean's showing, which had the power to either keep his campaign alive or hasten its downward spiral. Washington, with its liberal base of party activists, anti-war movement and fierce anti-Bush sentiment, has long been considered among Dean's best states.

Dean has lagged elsewhere, without a single primary or caucus victory heading into weekend voting in Washington, Michigan and Maine, and a self-imposed do-or-die stand in Wisconsin on Feb. 17.

Washington called off its presidential primaries this year, and both parties are using Iowa-style caucuses in about 600 fire stations, schoolhouses and living rooms across the state.

Participants were beginning the process of electing 76 national convention delegates, the largest bloc picked so far. The state has 17 "superdelegates," including Locke and other party leaders, who already are guaranteed slots on the delegation, and two add-on delegates will be chosen at the state convention.

Over the years, the caucuses have earned a reputation as being unpredictable and poorly attended. Participants have sometimes cut against the grain, with the likes of Gary Hart, Paul Tsongas, and Jerry Brown getting the better of national party favorites in previous years.

Typically, caucuses attract only the most politically active, with perhaps 20,000 people attending.

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