Kucinich Still Upbeat About Candidacy

DES MOINES, Iowa – Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (search) vowed to continue his campaign despite a distant, fifth-place finish Monday night in the Iowa caucuses.

"We picked up a few delegates, which is what I hoped to do," Kucinich told The Associated Press at a downtown Des Moines (search) hotel where supporters were disappointed. "For some, this might be the end of their campaigns. For me, this is the beginning."

"I'm now in the fifth position — and we'll keep moving up."

Kucinich said he was leaving first thing Tuesday morning for New Hampshire (search), where he hoped to continue his campaign.

"No one figured we'd do any better than fifth place, so I neither exceeded nor fell below expectations," the Ohio congressman said.

Some analysts noted that Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards, who voted for the Iraq war, outperformed anti-war candidates Howard Dean and Kucinich, showing that the war is not the premier issue in the campaign.

Kucinich brushed off that suggestion, saying: "It's a huge issue. My presence in the race will continue to give people an opportunity to vote to get out of Iraq."

Earlier Monday, Kucinich laid out a scenario in which no clear winner emerges from state primaries and caucuses, and he prevails with the most delegates at the national convention in July.

"It is inevitable, really," he said.