Suffolk News-Herald

Voters in Virginia will help determine who will win the Democratic presidential nomination next week.

During the state’s Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 10, voters will choose from among seven candidates seeking the party’s nomination: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry; former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean; retired Gen. Wesley Clark; North Carolina Sen. John Edwards; Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich; and the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York.

Two other contenders have already left the race. Former U.S. Sen. Carol Mosley Braun of Illinois dropped out several days before the Jan. 19 Iowa caucus. Former Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt followed a couple days later after a poor showing in Iowa.

The local party is not endorsing a candidate, said Arthur Bredemeyer, Suffolk attorney and chairman of the Democratic Party of Suffolk.

&uot;There are a lot of interesting things going on with nine people on the ballot,&uot; he said.

Unlike many other states, Bredemeyer said, Virginia’s primaries are open to all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation.

&uot;That means all of Suffolk’s 43,191 registered voters could vote,&uot; Bredemeyer said. &uot;It is an exercise in participating in democracy.

&uot;Voting in the primary does not obligate you to vote for a particular candidate or party (in the November 2004),&uot; said Arthur C. Bredemeyer, chairman of the Democratic Party of Suffolk.

Local residents in Suffolk should vote at their regular polling places from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 10, he said.

People can go to www.vademocrats.com for more information on the candidates.