Washington —
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry sealed the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night with a string of primary victories, prompting President George W. Bush to make a congratulatory telephone call saying he expects a "spirited contest" between the two.
Mr. Kerry said he told Mr. Bush: "I hope we have a great debate about the issues before the country," likely the last nice words the men will exchange until one makes a concession call in November.
Later, at a victory party in Washington, a hoarse Mr. Kerry took his toughest shot yet at Mr. Bush, voting to reverse the President's "inept, reckless and ideological" policies, which he said have alienated many of America's traditional friends and allies. "Change is coming to America," the senator told jubilant supporters.
Mr. Kerry was headed for big wins in all but two of the 10 "Super Tuesday" primaries.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry celebrates his Super Tuesday victory at the Old Post Office Pavillion in Washington. (Stephen Jaffe/AFP)
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His last serious rival, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, stayed close in Georgia, but officials from Mr. Edwards's campaign said the first-term senator will quit the nomination race Wednesday. And in Vermont, Democrats delivered a Pyrrhic victory to former governor Howard Dean, who had already shelved his bid for the nomination.
Tuesday's contests in California, New York, Ohio, Georgia, Minnesota, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont were to select 1,151 delegates for the party's summer nominating convention, nearly a third of the total.
Mr. Edwards stopped just short of a concession Tuesday night during a conciliatory speech to cheering supporters in Atlanta. He called on all Democrats to rally together to oust Mr. Bush, and extended congratulations to "my friend, John Kerry."
Mr. Edwards is widely seen as a possible running mate for Mr. Kerry. Last night, he didn't repeat previous statements that he had no interest in the second spot on the Democratic ticket.
And even before yesterday's votes were counted, Mr. Kerry was being asked about the possibility of choosing his rival as a running mate.
"I will try to find the best person to be vice-president,'' Mr. Kerry said, without hinting at a choice. "I have great, great respect for John Edwards. He's run a terrific campaign and he's still competing."
Rivals eventually sharing a ticket are rare, especially in the post-1972 era during which primaries have become the main method of selecting presidential candidates. Only once since then have former rivals combined on a ticket: in 1980, when Republican Ronald Reagan picked George H.W. Bush.
Mr. Reagan went on to win terms in 1980 and 1984, and Mr. Bush, father of the current President, went on to win in 1988 before losing in 1992.
Two decades earlier, another liberal Massachusetts senator, John Kennedy, picked a southerner, Texas senator Lyndon Johnson, to balance his ticket. Mr. Johnson became president after Mr. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Mr. Johnson went on to win the 1964 presidential election.
Much of the media swirl about Mr. Kerry picking Mr. Edwards could soon dissipate. The two rivals may not differ enough for Mr. Edwards to add balance to a Kerry-led ticket, although Mr. Edwards has done well among centrists, independents and even Republicans in open primaries where anyone can vote.
Nevertheless, their voting records are similar, and Mr. Edwards would add little heft in terms of foreign-policy experience.
Although the two live barely a block apart in expensive Georgetown homes, they are not considered close and they haven't worked together much in the Senate. Mr. Kerry is a 20-year Senate veteran who has focused on foreign affairs. Mr. Edwards, elected to the Senate five years ago, has concentrated on consumer issues.
In recent days, Mr. Edwards had sharpened his attacks on Mr. Kerry, calling him a tired Washington insider. But Mr. Kerry has ignored the jibes, staying focused on criticizing Mr. Bush. Of Mr. Edwards, he said: "I'd describe us as friends, good friends."
A poll published earlier this week found a Kerry-Edwards ticket doing better against Mr. Bush and his expected running mate, Dick Cheney, than either Democratic hopeful alone.
Among other names being bandied about for the vice-presidential spot on a Democrat ticket are Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, Florida Senator Bob Graham and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
Much depends on Mr. Kerry's strategy for beating Mr. Bush. Although no Democrat has ever won the White House without taking some southern states, where Mr. Edwards might help the most, this year the focus may be on the nation's industrial heartland, hardest hit by manufacturing job losses since Mr. Bush became President, or the burgeoning southwestern states.
Mr. Vilsack, a rising Democrat star, might help most in the Midwest.
Mr. Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in president Bill Clinton's cabinet, is also Hispanic, the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States.
Mr. Graham is from Florida, the bitterly contested state that decided the 2000 election and could be crucial again.
