Today is the biggest primary day in the Democratic race, with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and eight other states from coast-to-coast choosing delegates to the party convention.

08:41 AM EST on Tuesday, March 2, 2004

BY SCOTT MacKAY
Journal Staff Writer

AP photo Sen. John Kerry's, left, toughest opponent in today's Rhode Island Democratic presidential primary might be apathy, not Sen. John Edwards, right. Also on the ballot are the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Vermont governor Howard Dean.

PROVIDENCE -- Rhode Island voters head to the polls today in a Democratic presidential primary election that has generated no candidate visits, little visible excitement or interest, and that Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry is expected to win comfortably.

As the local Kerry campaign wraps up its efforts with a get-out-the-vote drive today, its toughest opponent may be apathy.

"We're just concentrating on getting the voters out there," said Tony Simon, Kerry's state coordinator. "We're hoping that Senator Kerry will take every state voting. That would be a great victory for us."

Rhode Island's presidential primary has traditionally been the neglected orphan of state politics; presidential campaigns generally give it short shrift and voter turnouts are usually low.

The state has about 650,000 registered voters, but if 10 percent of them bothered to vote today, it would constitute a surprisingly large turnout. Democratic voters have a choice of the four presidential candidates left with active campaigns: Kerry, the longtime senator from neighboring Massachusetts, Sen. John Edwards, of North Carolina, the Rev. Al Sharpton, of New York, and Dennis Kucinich, Ohio congressman.

In addition, some supporters of former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who quit the campaign after a string of blowout losses in early primaries and caucuses, have taken out newspaper ads asking voters to support Dean. Dean's name remains on the ballot, and supporters hope that he can elect a delegate here so that the Vermonter can maintain a presence at the Democratic National Convention this summer in Boston.

Neither Edwards nor Kerry, the two candidates with the most active campaigns, have visited Rhode Island recently. Neither candidate has run TV ads.

The 2004 campaign has featured a strong Democratic turnout in the early contests, including a high participation level in the Iowa caucuses and a record New Hampshire primary turnout. But voter interest has faded since, says Curtis Gans, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Committee for the Study of the American Electorate.

"Contests do help" fuel voter interest, says Gans. This was especially the case in Iowa and New Hampshire, states where candidates spent months shaking hands and personally greeting voters.

After Kerry swept the first two primaries, interest in Democratic contests ebbed, Gans says. Once the campaign shifted to the national level and became a race dominated by TV advertising and airport rallies, voter participation was not as high.

"Once you get the campaign away from retail campaigning to television and tarmac, you are going to have a turnout drop," says Gans.

There is no race this year on the Republican ballot; President Bush is the only candidate running for his party's nomination.

Nationally, today is the biggest primary day in the Democratic race, with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and eight other states from coast-to-coast choosing delegates to the Democratic convention that begins July 26 in Kerry's home city of Boston.

Kerry has won 18 of 20 contests so far and is the prohibitive favorite to win the nomination. Edwards is looking to score victories today to keep his candidacy alive.

Even Edwards' own supporters say the odds are long that he will be able to win enough votes today to stay in the race until next Tuesday when four Southern states vote. With Kerry leading in polls in all 10 states scheduled to vote today, the Edwards campaign seems near its end.

Of the 10 contests scheduled today, Edwards has virtually ceded the four New England states -- Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts -- to Kerry and stands scant chance of victory in the biggest battlegrounds, New York and California, or in Maryland. That leaves Georgia, Ohio and Minnesota as Edwards' targets.

In the last Rhode Island presidential primary, in 2000, roughly 48,000 Democrats and 37,000 Republicans participated, despite lively elections in both parties and personal stumping here by candidates. Al Gore defeated Bill Bradley in Rhode Island in 2000 and John McCain won the GOP primary over Bush.

Rhode Island Democrats elect 13 of the 34 delegates who will attend the national convention.

Delegates are awarded proportionally to candidates. A presidential candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the vote in one of the state's two congressional districts to be eligible for delegates.

The other Rhode Island delegates are chosen in June by the party's state committeee or are so-called "super delegates" who have convention votes by virtue of the positions they hold within the Democratic Party or as high elected officials.

There are 10 Rhode Island super delegates and most have pledged their votes to Kerry. Supporting Kerry so far are Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, U.S. Representatives Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin, Frank Montanaro, the Democratic National Committeeman, Edna O'Neill Mattson, vice chairwoman of the state party, William Lynch, the party chairman, Mark Weiner, a key party fundraiser, and Edward J. McElroy, a top official of the American Federation of Teachers, the large teacher union.

Sen. Jack Reed is the only super delegate not to endorse Kerry yet, but those close to him say he will be an enthusiastic supporter of Kerry's candidacy against Mr. Bush this fall.

Visit projo.com, the Journal's Web site, tonight for primary results after the polls close, and find helpful voter information now, at:

http://projo.com/extra/election/