March 15, 2004
Sharpton Endorses Kerry But Stays in Race
Minister and civil rights activist Al Sharpton withdrew from campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination Monday, though he pledged to remain on ballots and to continue to collect delegates. He met with presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry and has endorsed the Massachusetts senator. .

March 10, 2004
Kerry Easily Wins Four More Southern Primaries
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., handily won four more primaries Tuesday in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

March 3, 2004
Edwards Drops Out, Pledges Support of Kerry
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., dominated Super Tuesday's primaries, prompting Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., to drop out of the race.

Margaret Warner looks back at the Edwards campaign with Mark Johnson of the Charlotte Observer and Mitch Frank of Time magazine.

March 2, 2004
Kerry Dominates Super Tuesday; Dean Wins Vermont
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts dominated Super Tuesday's primary elections, winning nine out of ten states and knocking his main rival, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, out of the race.

Kerry is now widely believed to have a clear path to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Kerry won large victories in all of the major states holding contests, including New York and California, the states with the largest number of Democratic delegates.

March 2, 2004
Edwards Set to Drop Out Following Super Tuesday Losses
After failing to win a single state on Super Tuesday, Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., decided to end his race for the Democratic nomination, the Associated Press and other news organizations reported.

"He's stepping aside," said a Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity. A second official said Edwards would drop out of the race on Wednesday from Raleigh, N.C.

March 1, 2004
Candidates Campaign Before Super Tuesday
The remaining Democratic presidential candidates fanned out across the country Monday, one day before the ten-state "Super Tuesday" primary.

February 27, 2004
Edwards Seeks to Highlight Differences
The remaining Democratic presidential candidates met for a debate in Los Angeles Thursday night before entering the final days of cross-country campaigning ahead of Tuesday's ten-state super primary.

NewsHour Discussion: Just how different are the two leading Democratic candidates? Margaret Warner poses the question to senior advisers from Kerry and Edwards' campaigns.

February 26, 2004
Edwards Looks for Super Tuesday Boost
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina continued his run for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, concentrating on states that will hold elections on the March 2 "super primary."

February 25, 2004
Kerry Sweeps Three Western Primaries
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts easily won primary elections in Hawaii, Idaho and Utah on Tuesday, further solidifying his front-runner status in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kerry won with more than 50 percent of the vote in all three states.

February 24, 2004
Bush, Kerry Trade Barbs as Democratic Race Continues
President Bush turned his attention to the 2004 presidential race Monday, presenting key points of his campaign message and criticizing the Democratic front-runner, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. The president's speech followed days of back and forth between the Bush and Kerry campaigns over the careers of both men.

February 20, 2004
Kerry and Edwards Spar Over Trade, Prepare to Debate
Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and his main rival, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, have recently traded criticism on trade issues, while both have been sharply critical of President Bush. NewsHour analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks assess the Kerry and Edwards campaigns as well as President Bush's early campaign appearances.

February 19, 2004
Kerry Wins Backing of AFL-CIO Labor Union Group
The AFL-CIO federation of labor unions endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry Thursday, urging some 13 million workers nationwide to support the Massachusetts lawmaker.

"The time has come to unite behind one man, one leader, one candidate," AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said in an appearance with Kerry at a rally in Washington, D.C. "John Kerry has stood up and fought for American workers when it counted for 20 years," Sweeney said, adding that the senator has a 91 percent lifetime voting record rating from the AFL-CIO.

February 18, 2004
Dean Ends Campaign for Presidency
One day after a disappointing showing in the Wisconsin primary, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean announced that he is abandoning his campaign for the presidency. Gwen Ifill discusses the candidate's dramatic rise and fall with Matea Gold of the Los Angeles Times, Dan Balz of the Washington Post and Karen Tumulty of Time magazine.

Update: Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean ended his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday.

February 17, 2004
Kerry Edges Surprisingly Strong Edwards in Wisconsin
Sen. John Kerry scored another victory in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, narrowly defeating Sen. John Edwards in Wisconsin. The North Carolina senator rode a late surge in support to a strong second place finish Tuesday night, warning Kerry that "objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear". Former Gov. Howard Dean trailed a distant third.

February 16, 2004
Kerry Wins Nevada and D.C., Leads Polls in Wisconsin
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry won the hearts of Democratic voters in Washington, D.C. and Nevada on Saturday. He also has a commanding lead in public opinion polls in Wisconsin, which will hold its Democratic primary on Tuesday.

February 13, 2004
Clark Endorses Kerry; Others Vow to Compete
Former candidate Gen. Wesley Clark endorsed Sen. John Kerry's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, calling the Massachusetts lawmaker "the kind of leader Americans need."

February 10, 2004
Kerry Sweeps Primaries in Virginia, Tennessee
Building on a weekend sweep of caucuses in three states, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry cruised to two commanding double-digit victories in Tuesday's southern Democratic primaries in Virginia and Tennessee.

The victories by a New England senator were major blows to Sen. John Edwards and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, both of whom had hoped to revive their campaigns in the southern primaries.

February 9, 2004
Southern States Appear Headed for Kerry
Political journalists from Virginia and Tennessee report on the apparent surge in support for Kerry and what Edwards and Clark can do to try and reinvigorate their campaigns.

February 8, 2004
Wrapping Up the Weekend
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., scored three double-digit victories over the weekend to solidify his spot as the Democratic presidential front-runner. Kwame Holman reports a roundup of the latest campaign news.

February 8, 2004
Sen. John Kerry Sweeps Weekend Caucuses
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry scored his third double-digit victory of the weekend Sunday, winning the Maine caucuses and taking another step in his effort to garner the Democratic presidential nomination. The weekend added further momentum to the junior senator's campaign, awarding him the bulk of the delegates from both Michigan and Washington.

February 7, 2004
Kerry Wins Michigan, Washington Caucuses
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry continued to build on his campaign momentum, scoring two impressive double-digit victories in Saturday's Michigan and Washington Democratic caucuses.

February 6, 2004
Michigan Tests Internet Voting in Caucuses
Voters in Michigan participate in the largest and most ambitious Internet voting experiment to date. Of the tens of thousands who will vote in the Democratic caucuses on Saturday, roughly one-third will cast their ballots over the Internet.

February 6, 2004
Kerry Scores Gephardt Support; Rivals Trade Barbs
Former presidential contender Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., endorsed Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry on Friday in a move that is expected to help the Democratic front-runner rally labor support. Meanwhile, Edwards and retired Gen. Wesley Clark exchanged charges as they stumped ahead of the Feb. 10 primaries in Virginia and Tennessee.

February 5, 2004
Kerry Ahead Big in Michigan; Dean Bets on Wisconsin
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, returning to the campaign trail after a day off, largely ignored his Democratic rivals and continued to target President George Bush ahead of a series of primary contests. As Kerry's campaign moves from contest to contest, Dean announced his ca