As they say, it's not where you come from; it's where you are going. John Kerry has apparently won the Tennessee primary. And by winning there and in Virginia, Democratic voters appear to be sending the message that they are ready to unite around a single candidate, rejecting the idea that a Massachusetts liberal can't appeal to voters in the South.

"The message rings out loud and clear. Americans are voting for change," Kerry told supporters in Virginia. "East and west and now in the South, and I am grateful for that. Thank you Virginia. Thank you Tennessee."

Kerry said "love of country" and other shared values "are more important than boundries and birthplace, and I thank you for that."

Coming into the year, the Democratic Party lacked a consensus front-runner. Sure, the media gave Dean that title, but only because he led most state polls, not because he dominated them. Iowa defined the race by identifying a front-runner, someone who was broadly acceptable among the Big Tent Party.

Iowa is always important, but this year, in this race, it was especially so. People don't like to think they're wasting their votes. They want to go for a winner. Iowa helped identify that person, but today was almost as big: It showed Kerry could compete anywhere.

Exit polls show Kerry in Virginia winning crucial demographic groups: 55 percent of women voters, 64 percent of black voters and 62 percent of voters over 65.

What does this mean now for Wesley Clark and John Edwards? Trouble.

Clark's candidacy has struggled to live up to its promise and despite vast sums of money spent campaigning and running ads in key southern states, he has only a narrow victory in Oklahoma to show for it after 14 states. Similarly, Edwards -- a man considered the face of the future for many in the party —- has racked up only one state, his birth state of South Carolina.

Both men are vowing to carry on to Wisconsin next week. But Kerry has all the momentum.

Tonight, just moments after CNN declared Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry the winner going away in Virginia, former Vermont governor Howard Dean appeared on television screens speaking to supporters at a rally in Wisconsin.

He asked whether the party was going to nominate "someone who has been in the Senate for a long time and taken a lot of special interest money" or someone like himself, who had fought for near-universal health care and against the war in Iraq.

Well, the voters are answering that question, loud and clear. With his big win in Virginia tonight, Kerry simultaneously further laid waste to Dean's grand aspirations and obliterated the argument that voters want a fire-breathing, anti-establishment candidate on the ballot against President Bush in November.

Exit polls show Kerry trouncing his next closest competitor, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, by nearly 2-1, followed by retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark and Dean far back in the pack. By so thoroughly defeating Edwards and Clark -- two southerners -- tonight in Virginia, Kerry also undercuts the argument that he can't appeal to the southern voters. No doubt, Democrats will have a tough time in the South in the general election, but Kerry can now argue that he's the strongest candidate, regardless of regional considerations.

Exit polling data shows Kerry running particularly strong among black voters and older voters.

We'll be back soon with more definitive numbers in Virginia, and we'll be ready to talk about Tennessee as well.