By Alexandra Abboud
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Little drama surrounded Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's sweep of Democratic Party primary elections in four Southern states -- Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas -- on March 9. Kerry secured 77 percent of the votes in Florida and Mississippi and more than 65 percent in Louisiana and Texas.

"I believe more than ever before this country is voting for change," Kerry said of his victories.

According to many commentators, Kerry's win was no surprise since his main opponent, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, dropped out of the race after disappointing finishes in the March 2 "Super Tuesday" races. Prior to March 9, Kerry had already won 27 of the 30 state primaries and caucuses, effectively securing the Democratic nomination.

As a result of the March 9 elections, Kerry added 369 delegates to the Democratic nominating convention this summer. A total of nearly 2200 delegates is needed to secure the nomination, and Kerry has won 1537 delegates.

This year, a number of state elections were scheduled earlier than usual in a process called "front-loading," and Kerry emerged as a clear frontrunner relatively early. Democratic officials hoped that this process would ensure that the nominee would be decided early in the campaign season so that the party could focus on organizing its fall campaign. Political observers say that the low voter turnout in the latest four races, a trend seen throughout much of the primary season, resulted from the lack of drama in the race.