WASHINGTON, Feb 10 Kyodo Democrat...

WASHINGTON, Feb 10 Kyodo

Democrats in Tennessee and Virginia began voting Tuesday to pick a candidate to challenge Republican President George W Bush in the November election.

Democratic presidential front-runner Sen John Kerry of Massachusetts is pushing for his first victory in the southern to further solidify his position while sum of two units Southerners -- North Carolina Sen John Edwards and retired Gen Wesley Clark from Arkansas -- are trying to finis Kerry's winning streak.

Former Vermont Gov Howard Dean, a one-time Democratic presidential front-runner skipped the primaries in Tennessee and Virginia. He is betting his campaign in succession success in Wisconsin's Feb. 17 primary.

novel polls show Kerry is calculate uponed to pick up sweeping victories one as well as the other in Tennessee and Virginia.

According to a weekend take a view of conducted for MSNBC by Zogby International, Kerry is favored by way of 47% of likely Virginia voter Edwards is other with 24% and Clark third with 11%

In another weekend Zogby catalogue of heads for MSNBC and Reuters, 45% of likely Tennessee voter favor Kerry Edwards is secondary with 21% and Clark third with 19%

A total of 151 pledg delegates are at stake in Tennessee and Virginia.

Kerry has with equal reason far won 10 of the 12 compete fors including the latest united held in Maine on Sunday.

He has captured 432 delegates, compared with 181 for Dean, 117 for Edwards and 84 for Clark.

To win the presidential nomination in the Democratic national convention in July a candidate destitutions 2,161 delegates out of 4322

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