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By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry (news - web sites) rolled up big victories and a pile of delegates in five states Tuesday night, while rivals John Edwards (news - web sites) and Wesley Clark (news - web sites) kept their candidacies alive with singular triumphs in a dramatic cross-country contest.

Edwards easily won his native South Carolina and Clark, a retired Army general from Arkansas, eked out victory in neighboring Oklahoma. Howard Dean (news - web sites) earned no wins and perhaps no delegates, his candidacy in peril. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) was shut out, too, and dropped out of the race.

"It's a huge night," Kerry told The Associated Press, even as rivals denied him a coveted sweep.

Racking up victories in Missouri, Arizona, North Dakota, New Mexico and Delaware, Kerry suggested that his rivals were regional candidates.

"I compliment John Edwards, but I think you have to run a national campaign, and I think that's what we've shown tonight," the four-term Massachusetts senator said. "You can't cherry-pick the presidency."

With Iowa and New Hampshire already in his pocket, Kerry boasts a record of 7-2 in primary season contests, the undisputed front-runner who had a chance to put two major rivals away but failed.

An AP analysis showed Kerry winning 65 pledged delegates, Edwards 43, Clark five and Al Sharpton (news - web sites) one, with 155 yet to be allocated. Kerry's wins in Missouri and Arizona were the night's biggest prizes, with 129 delegates — nearly half of the 269 at stake.

Tuesday's results pushed Kerry close to 200 delegates out of 2,162 needed for the nomination, including the superdelegates of lawmakers and party traditionalists. Dean trailed by nearly 70, Edwards by nearly 100.

Democrats award delegates based on a candidates' showing in congressional districts, giving Kerry's rivals a chance to grab a few delegates even in contests they lost.

Howard Dean (news - web sites) earned no wins and perhaps no delegates, his candidacy in peril.

He'll get delegates almost certainly for New Mexico & maybe Arizona.

An AP analysis showed Kerry winning 65 pledged delegates, Edwards 43, Clark five and Al Sharpton (news - web sites) one, with 155 yet to be allocated. Kerry's wins in Missouri and Arizona were the night's biggest prizes, with 129 delegates — nearly half of the 269 at stake.

The overall will be something like 144 Kerry, 65 Edwards, 44 Clark, 15 Dean (at most), 1 Sharpton.