RALEIGH, N.C., March 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry apparently clinched the Democratic presidential nomination with a coast-to-coast string of nine out of 10 state electoral victories.
President George Bush called Kerry, D-Mass., to congratulate him before some of the polls closed Tuesday night.
Kerry's prime rival, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, was to announce his withdrawal from the presidential race Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Kerry scored landslides in California, New York, Ohio and Maryland, losing only Vermont to former state governor Howard Dean, whose campaign officially ended two weeks ago.
Kerry has won 27 of 30 caucuses and primaries this year.
Kerry swept the two biggest states, New York and California, where Edwards put up little competition, but his most important victories came in Ohio and Georgia, where Edwards had counted on his southern roots and populist economic message to carry him to victory.
The two long shot candidates still in the race, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Al Sharpton, finished far back in all states.
