"With the holidays over, the new year starts the dash in earnest for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination." And if Howard Dean "holds his lead in money, polls, endorsements and organization, the Democrats could have a primary campaign winner in just 60 days," the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
"A condensed calendar of primaries and caucuses presents opportunities for other top-tier candidates, to be sure. But money, momentum and ingenuity make the once-unknown New Englander the person to beat in the field of nine presidential candidates in the contest that, for most, began more than a year ago."
Meanwhile, Dean announced that he raised more than $15 million in the last quarter of 2003.
Update: The Washington Post gives a good overview of the "stop Dean" strategies of each candidate.