Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean has appointed a new campaign manager in the hope of rejuvenating his bid to run for the White House.
Roy Neel, once an aide to former Vice-President Al Gore, will take charge.
Mr Dean was once favourite to be picked by Democrats to stand against President Bush in this year's election.
But he lost momentum, finishing third in the Iowa caucus and second in the New Hampshire primary, both of which he had earlier been expected to win.
Mr Neel replaces Joe Trippi, who is widely credited with helping Mr Dean build the campaign that transformed him from an also-ran in the polls to front-runner by the end of 2003.
Correspondents say Mr Trippi also pioneered the use of the internet to spread the Dean message, win new supporters and raise huge amounts of money for the campaign.
Race moves on
The appointment of Mr Neel comes as Democratic presidential candidates are preparing for a wide-ranging test of popularity in so-called Super Seven states next Tuesday.
They face primaries in Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina, while New Mexico and North Dakota will be holding caucuses.
Mr Dean's rival John Kerry enters the race as front-runner after his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.
"I ask Democrats everywhere to join us so that we can defeat George W Bush and the economy of privilege," Mr Kerry told supporters before heading to St Louis, Missouri, for a campaign rally.
Mr Kerry's convincing win in the New Hampshire state primary on Tuesday has boosted his bid to become the Democrats' challenger to Mr Bush in November, correspondents say.
With all votes now counted, final results give the Massachusetts senator 38%, compared with 26% for closest rival Howard Dean.
About 200,000 voters participated in the primary - well above the previous record of 170,000 in 1992, when Paul Tsongas defeated the future Democratic nominee and president, Bill Clinton.
Last week, Senator Kerry was the surprise winner in the first stage of voting in Iowa.
Correspondents say the scale of Senator Kerry's win will give him vital momentum for the primaries that lie ahead.
Mr Dean improved on third place in last week's Iowa caucuses, and said he was pleased with his performance.
Four-way battle
Despite the excitement of the first two contests, the biggest hurdles in the race for the White House still lie ahead.
The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says Iowa and New Hampshire matter because if candidates do very badly, their campaigns normally fall apart.
However, if several contenders pass the early tests, the snowy wastes of the north are soon forgotten - because the bigger states, with large numbers of delegates' votes to be tied up, are in the rest of the country.
This means that retired General Wesley Clark and Senator John Edwards, who came third and fourth in New Hampshire, are still viable candidates.
Senator Joe Lieberman pledged to continue his campaign despite trailing in fifth.
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