Kerry says Bush on way out

2004-03-10 08:08

Chicago - Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry, buoyed by new party victories that put him within reach of the nomination, declared on Tuesday that George W Bush was on his way out and "change is coming to America".

Kerry spoke to three thousand cheering supporters in Chicago's Union Station after sweeping the nominating contests on Tuesday in the southern states of Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The Massachusetts senator repeated his familiar litany of criticism of the Republican president over issues ranging from the economy to health care, foreign policy, the fight against terrorism and the war in Iraq.

"This president doesn't have a record to run on, he has a record to run away from," Kerry said.

"That's why voters today said change is coming to America," he said. "Let's send George Bush back to Texas and take back the White House."

Kerry was campaigning in the northern state of Illinois where he said next week's primary should put him past the 2 162 delegates needed to secure the nomination at the Democratic convention in Boston in July.

He was looking to add all 465 delegates at stake on Tuesday to his previous total of 1 362. If he wins 33 delegates up for grabs in the state of Kansas on Saturday and Illinois' 156, he would seem to be short.

But the totals are subject to fluctuations and it was not clear when Kerry, who is facing only minor opposition after Senator John Edwards dropped out last week, would have enough delegates to officially claim victory.

- AFP