Democratic presidential front-runner Mr John Kerry rolled to dominating wins in Virginia and Tennessee last night, forcing rival Mr Wesley Clark out of the race to challenge US president Mr George W Bush.
Mr Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, easily brushed aside two Southerners, Mr Clark of Arkansas and Mr John Edwards of North Carolina, to notch his first wins in the South and make the case that he is a national candidate who can unify Democrats and challenge Mr Bush in every region.
"Americans are voting for change - East, West, North and now in the South," Mr Kerry said at a victory rally in Fairfax, Virginia. "We will fight for every vote, and we will carry our cause all across this land."
The sweep gave Mr Kerry 12 wins in the first 14 Democratic nominating contests and finished off Mr Clark, the former NATO commander and retired general who decided to end his campaign after two poor third-place finishes last night.
It also set up a crucial showdown next Tuesday in Wisconsin, where Mr Kerry's remaining rivals need a win to prove their viability.
Mr Clark and Mr Edwards, a senator, focused on Virginia and Tennessee all week in an effort to score strong enough showings to propel them on to Wisconsin.
But Mr Kerry, whose campaign was considered dead barely a month ago until he charged to a win in Iowa, earned more than 50 per cent of the vote in Virginia. Mr Edwards ran a distant second and Mr Clark a poor third.
In Tennessee, Kerry scored more than 40 per cent of the vote, with Mr Edwards 15 percentage points behind and Mr Clark in third place.
Mr Edwards flew to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to focus on the next test after lowering expectations all week by saying he would be happy with second-place finishes.
He wants to be the last challenger to Mr Kerry still standing after Wisconsin, when the bulk of the delegates to July's nominating convention will still be up for grabs.