Kerry moves closer to Democratic nomination

US Senator John Kerry coasted to victory in the Maine caucuses, wrapping up a three-state weekend sweep that pushed the Democratic front-runner closer to the party nomination than any of his vanquished rivals.

Howard Dean, who campaigned in Maine yesterday, finished a distant second in yet another disappointment for the one-time front-runner, and US Congressman Dennis Kucinich was third in one of his better showings of the primary season.