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American Morning
Iowa Caucuses
Aired January 20, 2004 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Last night Iowa's caucuses have transformed the Democratic political landscape as Massachusetts Senator John Kerry rode a late surge of support to victory. Kerry won 38 percent of the state convention delegates last night.
Finishing a strong second was North Carolina Senator John Edwards with 32 percent. Early front-runner Howard Dean finished third with 18 percent. Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt finished fourth with 11 percent.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more from Des Moines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it mattered here in Iowa, John Kerry's rollercoaster was careening upwards.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We came for the fight, and now I have a special message for the special interests that have a home in the Bush White House: We're coming, you're going, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
FRANKEN: Kerry's Bush trash-talking revved up a lot of Democrats -- 38 percent of the 125,000 or so who thronged to the nearly 2,000 caucuses ended up voting for Kerry. But at 32 percent, John Edwards also had a good claim on the "I told you so" award.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people of Iowa tonight confirmed that they believe in a positive uplifting vision to change America.
FRANKEN: Edwards' campaign had uplifted far ahead of Howard Deans, but Dean was not about to let a poor 18 percent third slow him.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have just begun to fight, and we're going to fight and fight and fight.
FRANKEN: But for Dick Gephardt, the fight seems to be over. He's dropping out. His dismal 11 percent fourth place was about to snuff out his presidential fire.
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Life will go on, because this campaign was never about me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: The campaign will have one less player, but the show must go on. And, Soledad, the next stage is New Hampshire.
O'BRIEN: Bob, a quick question for you. I want to talk a little bit about John Edwards. As we've seen, we've seen a lot of focus obviously on Kerry, the big winner; also on Howard Dean, the surprising third-place finisher. But give me a sense of the outcome effect on John Edwards.
FRANKEN: Well, it makes Edwards a credible candidate, and he needed something like this to be considered, in fact -- I'll have to say -- as a full grown up in the presidential sweepstakes. Now he goes into New Hampshire. It's the home turf, really, for candidates Kerry and Dean. If he does credibly there, now he goes to his turf. He's from North Carolina. He was actually born in South Carolina. So, right now he has -- what the first President Bush used to call -- "the big mo" -- Soledad
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 20, 2004 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Last night Iowa's caucuses have transformed the Democratic political landscape as Massachusetts Senator John Kerry rode a late surge of support to victory. Kerry won 38 percent of the state convention delegates last night.
Finishing a strong second was North Carolina Senator John Edwards with 32 percent. Early front-runner Howard Dean finished third with 18 percent. Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt finished fourth with 11 percent.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more from Des Moines.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it mattered here in Iowa, John Kerry's rollercoaster was careening upwards.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We came for the fight, and now I have a special message for the special interests that have a home in the Bush White House: We're coming, you're going, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
FRANKEN: Kerry's Bush trash-talking revved up a lot of Democrats -- 38 percent of the 125,000 or so who thronged to the nearly 2,000 caucuses ended up voting for Kerry. But at 32 percent, John Edwards also had a good claim on the "I told you so" award.
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The people of Iowa tonight confirmed that they believe in a positive uplifting vision to change America.
FRANKEN: Edwards' campaign had uplifted far ahead of Howard Deans, but Dean was not about to let a poor 18 percent third slow him.
HOWARD DEAN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have just begun to fight, and we're going to fight and fight and fight.
FRANKEN: But for Dick Gephardt, the fight seems to be over. He's dropping out. His dismal 11 percent fourth place was about to snuff out his presidential fire.
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Life will go on, because this campaign was never about me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: The campaign will have one less player, but the show must go on. And, Soledad, the next stage is New Hampshire.
O'BRIEN: Bob, a quick question for you. I want to talk a little bit about John Edwards. As we've seen, we've seen a lot of focus obviously on Kerry, the big winner; also on Howard Dean, the surprising third-place finisher. But give me a sense of the outcome effect on John Edwards.
FRANKEN: Well, it makes Edwards a credible candidate, and he needed something like this to be considered, in fact -- I'll have to say -- as a full grown up in the presidential sweepstakes. Now he goes into New Hampshire. It's the home turf, really, for candidates Kerry and Dean. If he does credibly there, now he goes to his turf. He's from North Carolina. He was actually born in South Carolina. So, right now he has -- what the first President Bush used to call -- "the big mo" -- Soledad
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Bob, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
