Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Perceived Electability of John Kerry

Aired January 26, 2004 - 06:01   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Perceived electability. Those two words may be what's pushing John Kerry to the forefront; 56 percent of likely voters believe he has the best chance of defeating President Bush in the general election.
We get more on Kerry's increasing momentum from CNN national correspondent Kelly Wallace in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry's strategy? Take nothing for granted these final hours, and that means going door to door...

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Terrific. Great.

WALLACE: ... and bringing out the big guns to get out the vote.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He's my friend. He's my colleague. He is the leader for our generation, this generation, for our country and the world.

WALLACE: More than 2,000 people crammed into a Nashua high school gymnasium to see the senior and junior senators from Massachusetts. Kerry's biggest applause line: the defeat of President Bush.

KERRY: For he has run the most arrogant, inept, reckless and ideological foreign policy in the modern history of this country, and we will hold him accountable.

WALLACE: In an interview with CNN, Kerry said, despite his lead in the polls, he does not think of himself as the front runner.

KERRY: You know, I was so far behind a few weeks ago, and things change. We had to fight our way back in Iowa, and I'm still fighting for every vote that I can get here in New Hampshire.

WALLACE (on camera): Is it Iowa, or is it people giving you a second look, or you're better?

KERRY: Oh, you're going to have to ask the voters. I'm just going out and campaigning from my gut and from my heart, and talking to people about how I can help make their lives better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on that? I think we're going to do one more. WALLACE (voice-over): But Kerry is already looking beyond New Hampshire to the February 3 states, with a top advisor saying South Carolina and Missouri will be among his first stops.

(on camera): On Monday, the senator travels by bus and helicopter all around the state, hoping for a victory here, which would make him the undisputed front runner and the man to beat going into the next round of primaries.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Somersworth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 26, 2004 - 06:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Perceived electability. Those two words may be what's pushing John Kerry to the forefront; 56 percent of likely voters believe he has the best chance of defeating President Bush in the general election.
We get more on Kerry's increasing momentum from CNN national correspondent Kelly Wallace in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Kerry's strategy? Take nothing for granted these final hours, and that means going door to door...

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Terrific. Great.

WALLACE: ... and bringing out the big guns to get out the vote.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He's my friend. He's my colleague. He is the leader for our generation, this generation, for our country and the world.

WALLACE: More than 2,000 people crammed into a Nashua high school gymnasium to see the senior and junior senators from Massachusetts. Kerry's biggest applause line: the defeat of President Bush.

KERRY: For he has run the most arrogant, inept, reckless and ideological foreign policy in the modern history of this country, and we will hold him accountable.

WALLACE: In an interview with CNN, Kerry said, despite his lead in the polls, he does not think of himself as the front runner.

KERRY: You know, I was so far behind a few weeks ago, and things change. We had to fight our way back in Iowa, and I'm still fighting for every vote that I can get here in New Hampshire.

WALLACE (on camera): Is it Iowa, or is it people giving you a second look, or you're better?

KERRY: Oh, you're going to have to ask the voters. I'm just going out and campaigning from my gut and from my heart, and talking to people about how I can help make their lives better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on that? I think we're going to do one more. WALLACE (voice-over): But Kerry is already looking beyond New Hampshire to the February 3 states, with a top advisor saying South Carolina and Missouri will be among his first stops.

(on camera): On Monday, the senator travels by bus and helicopter all around the state, hoping for a victory here, which would make him the undisputed front runner and the man to beat going into the next round of primaries.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, Somersworth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.