DES MOINES — On the eve of their first crucial test, top Democratic presidential hopefuls pursued twin tracks Sunday, struggling to break from a four-man pack while striving to manage expectations for tonight's Iowa caucuses.
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean flew to Plains, Ga., to stand beside former President Carter, who offered praise but no formal endorsement. Dean then returned to Iowa to be greeted by a rare companion on the campaign trail: his wife, Judy.
Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri rallied union supporters and stumped alongside musician Chuck Berry, while Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts campaigned with the Green Beret he rescued under fire in Vietnam. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina flew across this Midwest state, pressing his core theme that America is a nation divided by class and race.
By the end of the day, the four candidates had delivered 17 speeches in 11 cities, from Sioux City in the west to Davenport in the east.
Even as they sent several thousand supporters to knock on doors and call undecided voters, the candidates were pouring unprecedented sums into television advertising, according to an analysis conducted for The Times. In just seven days last week, Dean spent $530,000 on television in Iowa -- a huge amount in such a low-population state.
On Sunday, the race was roiled by an Iowa Poll showing the four closely bunched in a surprising order: Kerry on top with 26%, followed by Edwards at 23%, Dean at 20% and Gephardt at 18%. The eight-point spread is within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
For months, Dean and Gephardt were seen as the two main competitors here, with Kerry and Edwards perceived as distant also-rans.
But the dynamic abruptly shifted this last week, as Iowans appeared to step back and give the field a final, more careful once-over.
"Sen. Kerry's message makes people feel secure. Sen. Edwards' message makes them feel hopeful and optimistic," Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat who is neutral in the contest, said on CNN. "Meanwhile, Rep. Gephardt and Gov. Dean were engaged in a very fierce battle with ads, basically going after each other, and that may have turned people off."
The poll, conducted by the Des Moines Register, was at best an educated guess at what might happen tonight, when more than 100,000 Iowans are expected to gather in church basements, high school gymnasiums, American Legion halls and other public settings to begin the process of picking the Democrat who will face President Bush in November.
