Unless there is a major upset in the March 2 primaries in New York, Ohio and California, Senator John Kerry is clearly the Democratic candidate in this year's US presidential election.

The Massachusetts senator won three back to back primaries this weekend -- Michigan, Washington and Maine.

Kerry has won all but two of the 12 Democratic primaries so far -- he lost South Carolina to Senator John Edwards and Oklahoma to retired General Wesley Clarke.

Dr Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who dominated the Democratic campaign until the Iowa Caucuses, came second in Maine.

The maverick politician is expected to drop out of the race -- like Carol Mosley Braun, Dick Gephardt and Senator Joe Lieberman have done -- if he does not win the Democratic primary in Wisconsin on February 17.

In Maine -- where the Bush family has a home in Kennebunkport; the former President George H W Bush lives there -- Kerry won 46 percent of the vote. Dean took 26 percent. Liberal Congressman Denis Kucinich was third at 13 percent. Edwards and Clark won 9 percent and 4 percent respectively.

A big test for Kerry comes tomorrow when the Democratic primaries are held in Virginia and Tennessee. Some critics have doubted if the Eastern politician can hold the South-- which is vital if the Democrats have to win the presidency.

Should he win the first two Southern states to go to the polls this year, Kerry's campaign will be unstoppable.

Virginia Governor Mark Warner gave Kerry a leg up on Sunday, endorsing the senator's candidacy.

Polls say Kerry will win both states comfortably.

He has won 411 Democratic delegates so far. By the time the Democrats' Boston convention comes around in August, Kerry need to add up 2,162 delegates.