The burgeoning success of Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., who won five out of seven state primaries Tuesday, has led to speculation about the importance of Wisconsin in the nomination of a Democratic presidential candidate.

Since Wisconsin is the only state to hold a primary on Feb. 17, interest in the state will be abundant, said Rodd Freitag, associate professor of political science.

“Wisconsin will receive a lot of attention, especially since (former Vermont Gov. Howard) Dean seems to be staking so much on it,” he said. “We’ll see all the candidates in Wisconsin.”

Freitag said while Wisconsin is important, there are bigger states’ primaries looming in early March, particularly in California.

“They will begin to overshadow Wisconsin,” he said.

Kerry’s primary triumphs Tuesday, which included Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico and North Dakota, added to his perception as the front-runner.

After learning of Kerry’s victories, freshman Eric Duwe said he is certain Kerry will get the nomination to represent the Democrats in the race for the presidency.

“He’s got it in the bag,” he said.

But Freitag does not see this victory as evidence that a Kerry nomination is guaranteed.

He said Kerry clearly is the man to beat at this point, but it is not over for retired Gen. Wesley Clark and John Edwards, D-N.C.

“If (Kerry) had won all seven contests, it would be over, no question,” he said.

The fact that Clark won Oklahoma and Edwards South Carolina shows they remain viable candidates, Freitag said.

“They must continue to win occasionally in order to raise enough money to stay in the race,” he said.

So what happened to Dean?

The Vermont governor opted out of campaigning in the seven states that held Tuesday primaries and decided to focus on Wisconsin, Freitag said.

One reason for this, Freitag said, is because he has no money.

“Dean is hoping to extend the contest so he can compete in some of the bigger states in early March,” he said.

Freitag said Dean might also be trying to keep Kerry from getting a majority of the delegates before the Democratic National Convention July 26-29. Out of this, Dean may hope he can win on a second or third ballot during the convention, he said.

Rumors abound about the fate of Edwards, but one that is prevalent is the idea of a Kerry-Edwards ticket.

Edwards is “very much a potential VP candidate,” Freitag said.

In the past, Democrats have chosen Southerners to give the ticket a geographical balance, Freitag said. This was the case with John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts and his Texan running mate, Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1960.

Duwe, a Republican, said while it would be beneficial to Kerry to have a Southern running mate, it will not help him against President Bush.

“Bush has a stronghold on the South,” Duwe said.

The fervor surrounding the election has gotten more students interested in what is going on, some students said.

Junior Eric Ristau said he sees more students caring about this election than those of the past.

“It seems like everyone I have talked to has some sort of opinion about it.”