Wisconsin will play a key role in determining which Democratic presidential nominee will face George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, said representatives of four Democratic presidential candidates Wednesday at Capital Newspapers, 1901 Fish Hatchery Rd.
State directors of the Howard Dean, John Kerry and John Edwards campaigns, as well as a volunteer from the Wesley Clark campaign, spoke about the importance of Wisconsin's February 17, 2004 presidential primary.
\It is the only primary on February 17,"" said George Twigg, the state director of the John Kerry campaign. ""All the major candidates who are left are essentially going to be camped out in Wisconsin for that week. ... The eyes of the nation will be on Wisconsin.""
Earlier this year Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill that moved the state's primary from the second Tuesday in April to the third Tuesday in February, adding importance to what used to be a relatively meaningless primary. In the past, primaries after ""Super Tuesday""-the day when 16 states including California and New York hold primaries-have mattered little as the races have been decided by the time Wisconsin voters went to the polls.
""Whoever wins Wisconsin is going to go into 'Super Tuesday' with a big feather in their cap,"" Twigg said.
Chris Wren of Clark's campaign said the General will be spending a lot of time campaigning in the state before the primary.
""He was very pleased with the response he got,"" Wren said of Clark's first visit to Madison in October. ""Wisconsin is a high priority for him.""
In addition to agreeing about the importance of the Wisconsin primary, the campaign representatives all stated the most important goal for the Democrats is defeating Bush.
""I'll steal one of John Kerry's lines from the debates,"" Twigg said. ""The only jobs George Bush has created are the nine democratic candidates for president.""
However, they also acknowledged whichever Democrat ultimately faces Bush needs a clearly focused plan.
""In order for the democrats to win we have to be more than 'anti-George Bush',"" said Mike Tate, the state director of the Howard Dean campaign.
""What the Democratic Party stands for ... is a return to the concept of ethics in government,"" Wren said. ""We're getting dishonesty up and down the line ... You can't have a democracy unless you can have trust in its leaders.\
