Kerry’s shock Iowa win thrusts him to front in Democratic race for presidency

JOHN KERRY’S shock victory in the Iowa Caucuses on Monday has thrust him to the front in the Democratic race for the presidency.

The tall, gaunt Massachusetts senator was yesterday 10 points ahead of former front-runner Howard Dean, who had a disastrous night in Iowa.

Boston Herald pollster R Kelly Myers said: "it's clearly a substantial Iowa bounce for Kerry. "His fledgling campaign has found new legs and he now finds himself the clear front-runner in this race."

With the New Hampshire primaries on Tuesday, Kerry is working overtime to capitalise on his Iowa victory, meeting, greeting and speaking all over the frozen state.

Meanwhile, Dean, the former governor of Vermont, is being haunted by the speech he gave immediately after his poor third place in Iowa.

Trying to rally his troops he yelled and spat out a speech, finishing it with a cry of "yeee-arr!" "Dean's freak out" is how ABC news described it, and it made the medical doctor look out of control.

The ranting speech has already appeared on websites, with techno-wizards turning it into a rap.

And every time the incident is replayed on the US television networks, the public cannot help but think: "do we want this man as president?"

Myers said: "that odd speech in Iowa clearly hurt him."

After Iowa, Kerry is riding high. A Boston Herald poll showed that he has 31% support in New Hampshire, ahead of Tuesday's primary. Dean is in second place with 21%. Retired general Wesley Clark is in third place, lagging well behind with 16%.

Meanwhile, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who came a surprising second in Iowa, was fourth in the Boston Herald poll, with 11%.

And things were not looking promising in the Joe Lieberman camp. The Connecticut Senator, who, like Clark, did not run in Iowa, was lagging well behind with just 4%. Congressman Dennis Kucinich was at 2% while the Rev Al Sharpton drew less than 1%.