Rivals spar in 7-state showdown

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Heading into a crucial round of seven primary contests today, the Democratic candidates for president turned sharply negative as they battled for any last-minute advantage yesterday, especially in the two states -- South Carolina and Oklahoma -- where it appears front-runner John F. Kerry could be defeated.

With polls showing Senator John Edwards narrowly ahead in the Palmetto State, Kerry derided his chief rival's lack of experience, as well as Edwards's claim that he can beat President Bush in Southern states.

"Edwards says he's the only one who can win states in the South. He can't even win his own state," Kerry told an aide within earshot of a reporter, referring to polls that show Edwards trailing Bush in North Carolina.

Edwards fired back that he is the "only candidate that actually has a record of having won in a tough state," a reference to North Carolina's increasingly Republican electoral leanings. And he took Kerry to task, seizing on reports that Kerry received more money from special interest lobbyists than anyone else in the Senate.

"I don't take contributions from lobbyists, and he obviously does," Edwards said.

Howard Dean echoed the accusation and mockingly stole a line from Kerry's stump speech. He told a crowd: "We have got to change this country fundamentally, change what's going on in Washington . . . and John, don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Two weeks into a surprisingly volatile campaign for the nomination, the candidates face a cross-country sweep of elections today that could give a powerful boost to Kerry if he wins across the board. He is leading in Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, Delaware, and North Dakota, and in two polls released yesterday, conducted by USA Today/Gallup and Quinnipiac University, Kerry held the lead in a head-to-head fight against Bush.

By the same measure, a victory for Edwards in South Carolina or retired General Wesley K. Clark in Oklahoma -- where both have strong showings in late polls -- could shift the direction of the race once more. The head of the Democratic Party, Terry McAuliffe, said yesterday that as many as three contenders will stay in the race through March 2, setting the stage for an increasingly bitter and expensive fight.

Edwards, who campaigned heavily in South Carolina yesterday, has said he must win the state to stay in the race. But it is a benchmark for Kerry as well. Today's contests will offer the first glimpse of how well Kerry fares among black voters, who make up a significant portion of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina. The race there and in Oklahoma will also test Kerry's popularity among more conservative voters, who might potentially view the Massachusetts senator as out of the mainstream.

Kerry's relationship with the South has become one of the more intriguing wrinkles in the campaign. Though he launched his campaign here, Kerry has mostly avoided campaigning in South Carolina, a sore spot for voters. Yet Kerry -- who is less of a natural fit for the region than Edwards or Clark, who were both born and raised here -- maintains that his nationwide strength will make him viable among Democrats in any state who simply want to beat Bush. "We're not going to convince the South or any other part of the country that we Democrats know how to keep America safe unless we can stand up to [Bush] on national security," Kerry said. "I have a 35-year record of fighting for my country, fighting in a war, fighting against a war, of leading on national security issues to make our nation safer."

He has also argued that it is mathematically possible for a Democrat to win without a single Southern vote. But the impression that he intends to avoid campaigning in the South has sparked a regional debate, which continued yesterday as Kerry cast doubt on Edwards's electability for the first time publicly.

Edwards, who rarely criticizes his opponents by name, yesterday lashed out at Kerry for supporting free-trade agreements -- viewed as detrimental to the manufacturing industry in the Carolinas -- and spending his career in Washington. "Senator Kerry and I have very different positions on the issue of trade. And our records clearly demonstrate that. It's not an academic issue for me. I've lived it, seen up close what impact it has on people's lives," Edwards said. "I think if we want real change in Washington, we need someone who hasn't been there for 20 years."

Clark, meanwhile, campaigned through Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona, targeting Hispanic voters and declaring himself the candidate who can withstand Republican attacks.

"You need someone in the Democratic Party who can call [President Bush] out for what he is: He's someone who misleads Americans," Clark told roughly 100 supporters at a Hispanic cultural center in Albuquerque. He said Republicans would turn the race into a series of personal attacks, and that, "It's going to take one tough hombre," to face the assaults. "I am one tough hombre!"

Dean's schedule highlighted his strategy of gearing up for later races: After campaigning in New Mexico and Arizona, both of which vote today, he jetted off for Washington state, where he hopes to fare better in Saturday's caucuses. Dean will spend today in Spokane, in eastern Washington, and Tacoma, on Puget Sound in the east, before flying to Wisconsin, which holds its primary on Feb. 17. Dean, in a cost-cutting measure, laid off 18 campaign staff members late yesterday. He has conceded he has little chance of winning in any of the seven states voting today, except perhaps New Mexico.

Speaking in Sante Fe, the state capital, Dean continued to lambaste Kerry, whom he has already called a "handmaiden of special interests" and a "special-interest clone" after weekend reports about Kerry's fund-raising from Washington lobbyists. Dean said the fund-raising directly contradicted Kerry's recent speeches, which have railed against the influence of special interests. In particular, Kerry has told lobbyists he will end their influence in Washington so they should not "let the door hit you on the way out."

Dean also challenged Kerry to a one-on-one debate in Seattle tonight, where both men will be campaigning. Kerry, who had challenged Dean to a one-on-one debate during the fall, said on Sunday that he did not have time to debate Dean.

Glen Johnson, Robert Schlesinger, and Raja Mishra of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Anne E. Kornblut can be reached at akornblut@globe.com.