(AP) — John Kerry squeezed out victory in Wisconsin, barely holding off hard-charging rival John Edwards, who established himself as the front-runner’s sole rival, as the Democratic presidential race thunders toward a 10-state showdown March 2.

Howard Dean trailed far behind, winless in 17 contests, his candidacy doomed less than a month after he stood atop the Democratic field. The fallen front-runner retreated to Vermont, where he will consider several options, including endorsing one of his rivals, advisers said.

Close race or not, Kerry said, “A win is a win.”

Edwards, his dream of a head-to-head matchup now a reality, declared, “We’ll go full-throttle to the next group of states.”

He pledged to campaign in each of the 10 states holding primaries or caucuses March 2, including California, New York and Ohio, and awarding 1,151 delegates, more than half the total needed to claim the nomination.

The North Carolina lawmaker’s breakout was fueled by the highest Republican turnout of the primary season and voters who made their decision in the last week. His deepest support was in the GOP suburbs of Milwaukee.