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Inside Politics

Dean shakes up campaign staff

Kerry and others seek votes in next week's contests

Howard Dean has replaced his campaign manager.
Howard Dean has replaced his campaign manager.

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(CNN) -- After suffering losses in Iowa and New Hampshire, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean shook up his campaign Wednesday, replacing his campaign manager with a longtime aide to Al Gore.

Roy Neel, who was Gore's chief of staff when he was a senator and vice president, will be the new chief executive officer, running the day-to-day efforts of the campaign, a spokeswoman said. (Full story)

Neel's appointment prompted the departure of Joe Trippi, the campaign manager credited with bringing Dean from an asterisk in the polls to front-runner status. Sources said Trippi was offered a role in the media operation but opted to leave after a "tearful" meeting with the staff.

The campaign, which has raised more money than any other Democratic effort and opted out of public financing, may also be having financial problems. Sources told CNN that staffers have been told paychecks would be delayed for two weeks.

Dean posted a statement on his Web site saying he was "deeply grateful" to Trippi. "Joe has made enormous contributions not just to our campaign but to American politics," he said.

Trippi also posted a statement saying he remained supportive of the campaign. "I may be out of the campaign, but I'm not out of the fight," he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Kerry moved quickly to capitalize on his twin victories in New Hampshire and Iowa, and other leading candidates headed south and west in search of winning opportunities in an expanding roster of states.

Voters go the polls Tuesday in primaries in Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina; New Mexico and North Dakota hold caucuses the same day. (CNN.com's interactive Election Calendar)

Kerry, who followed his victory in Iowa with a win by 13 percentage points in New Hampshire, kicked off a seven-day swing through the states Wednesday with a rally in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was expected to pick up several endorsements, including that of Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack.

Kerry's campaign announced it would receive the endorsement of Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, a widely respected leader in the African-American community. Clyburn told CNN he has decided on an endorsement but would not reveal his preference until Thursday.

The senator from Massachusetts won 39 percent of the vote in neighboring New Hampshire, compared to 26 percent for Dean, 12 percent each for retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and 9 percent for Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. (Full story)

The first-place finish, with its solid margin, was a turnaround for Kerry, who trailed Dean by double digits in New Hampshire polls as recently as two weeks ago.

Coupled with his victory in Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire win propelled Kerry to the front of the Democratic field, a status sure to be tested as the state contests widen next week.

"The test of running for president is a long one, and it's a tough one, so I expect to be tough all the way, and I expect to compete with the same underdog mentality," Kerry told reporters before departing for Missouri.

Based on Tuesday's results, Kerry took 13 of the 22 delegates up for grabs in New Hampshire and Dean took nine.

Clark, Edwards, Lieberman

Clark and Edwards were scheduled to cross paths on whirlwind trips Wednesday.

Edwards stressed his Southern roots on his 21st campaign trip to South Carolina.

"I grew up here, I've lived here my entire life," he told reporters, declaring that he was the stronger Southerner than Clark, an Arkansas native. "I've represented a Southern state, North Carolina, in the U.S. Senate."

Later, he traveled to Missouri, whose prize of 74 delegates is the most in Tuesday's contests. An endorsement from the state's popular Rep. Dick Gephardt, who dropped out of the presidential race after a fifth-place showing in Iowa, would help any candidate dramatically. But spokesmen for Gephardt told CNN he will not issue an endorsement before Tuesday. (Where it stands: A delegate scorecard)

During a campaign stop in Missouri, Edwards praised Gephardt -- who was not present -- as "my friend, someone I admire so much" and as "one of the finest human beings I have ever known." (Full story)

Clark skipped Iowa to devote his resources to New Hampshire, where a few weeks ago campaign aides had been hoping for a second-place finish.

He was still enthusiastic about his finish. "Never underestimate what a determined soldier can accomplish when fighting for his country," Clark told cheering supporters Tuesday night. (Full story)

Clark scheduled events for Tulsa, Oklahoma; St. Louis; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Phoenix, Arizona. In addition to his South Carolina stop, Edwards was scheduled to campaign in St. Louis and Tulsa.

Lieberman, meanwhile, on Thursday received a boost from the Arizona Republic newspaper, which endorsed him. (Full story)

Like Clark and Edwards, Lieberman scheduled a trip to Oklahoma for Wednesday. With 40 Democratic delegates up for grabs, the state can expect to see all the candidates on the plains often in the next week.

Other developments

• President Bush goes to New Hampshire on Thursday to energize his supporters in a state he narrowly secured in the 2000 election and where he has been repeatedly attacked by Democrats in recent weeks. White House and Bush re-election campaign officials want to get Bush to New Hampshire to spread his belief the U.S. economy is recovering, the war on terrorism is being won and the Iraq war was a worthy cause. Bush will go to Fidelity Investments Consulting in Merrimack to give a speech on the U.S. economy.

• Exit polls taken in New Hampshire found that some voters believed Kerry had the best chance of beating Bush in the fall. Of the 33 percent in exit polls who said a candidate's electability was more important to them than the issues, more than half said they favored Kerry. His experience was also a factor, according to the exit polls.(Full story)

• In the overall contest for delegates, Dean still leads with 113, compared to 94 for Kerry; 36 for Edwards; 30 for Clark; and 25 for Lieberman. (Where it stands: A delegate scorecard) The reason Dean's delegate total tops Kerry's is that it includes the endorsements of elected Democratic leaders and party officials who can cast votes at July's Democratic national convention in Boston. (The delegate selection process)

• Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton were also on the campaign trail after faring poorly in New Hampshire.

CNN's Frank Buckley, Phil Hirschkorn, Kelly Wallace, Justin Dial and Ted Barrett contributed to this story.


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