Massachusetts Senator John Kerry all but secured the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination Tuesday night, winning nine of the day’s ten primaries. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who is no longer running, won his first victory in his home state. Meanwhile, having failed to place first in any of the day’s contests, North Carolina Senator John Edwards withdrew Wednesday morning.

Although Kerry won Ohio, underdog Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich won the hearts of many of the voters at Oberlin’s First Church Tuesday evening.

First-time voter Louisa Lemauviel cast her ballot for Kerry.

“I definitely voted with my head thinking who would be most likely to win against Bush,” Lemauviel said. “There are other candidates, like Kucinich, that I really identify with on an emotional level, but don’t think would win or would represent the country that we live in today as well.”

First-year Alix Feeley thinks her head and her heart were in the same place, voting for Kucinich.

“I feel I was informed on the politics, so I think so, I would say both,” she said. Does Feeley believe Kucinich could beat Bush? “There’s a possibility. I’m going to be hopeful.”

Leader of Lorain County for Kucinich Michael Kay spent many hours outside First Church distributing Kucinich campaign cards. Although he had doubts that Kucinich could win Ohio, he said his head and his heart are in the same place. “Can you separate your head from your heart?” Kay asked. “It’s attached.” Does Kucinich stand a chance of winning Ohio? “I think he’ll get enough votes to be what they call viable and to therefore have delegate strength in these areas.”

“The war on Iraq is pretty forward on everybody’s mind right now,” first-year Allison Phillips who cast her vote for former general Wesley Clark said.

“A lot of my family work in factories, and they’re all getting laid off,” a 21-year old Kerry supporter from Michigan said. “It’s important to me that people without an education who just have a high school diploma can still maintain their job and their way of life.”

“Universal healthcare is definitely most important to me,” Tracie, a forty-one-year-old Kucinich supporter said. Does she think Kucinich could win?

“Depends on how you define winning,” Tracie responded. “I think insofar as hopefully starting a dialogue and raising some awareness. I would consider those victories.”

College Democrat co-chair Melissa Threadgill stressed the importance of voting in Ohio in the presidential elections.

“In 2000 Gore didn’t lose Ohio by a lot and they didn’t put any resources into the state at all,” Threadgill said. “Ohio is definitely contestable in 2004.”

In state and local primaries, Eric Fingerhut won the Democratic nomination to contest Republican Senator George Voinovich for the Senate.

Joseph Koizura was nominated for State Representative for the 56th House district and Deanna Hill was nominated for the 57th House district.

Lori Kokoski and Ted Kalo were nominated for county commissioners.

Dennis Will squeaked by Brendan Mackin for the prosecutor’s nomination by 271 votes in a race won by less than one percent of the vote.

Christopher Rothgery won the nomination to run for common pleas judge.

Nancy Fuerst won the nomination to run for Ohio Supreme Court Justice.

Ann Tanner and John Bender were selected to run for the State Central Committee.