DETROIT, Feb 5: Howard Dean may be forced to give up his quest for the White House if he fails to win a primary election to be held in the heartland state of Wisconsin on Feb 17, the former Vermont governor said on Thursday.

"The entire race has come down to this: we must win Wisconsin," Dean wrote in an e-mail message to supporters. "Anything less will put us out of this race," he said.

The onetime runaway frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination to run against President George W. Bush in November has failed to win any of nine early election contests held so far.

But Dean told supporters that he believes his campaign will turn that slump around with a win in liberal Wisconsin.

"Our true test will be the Wisconsin primary. A win there will carry us to the big states of March 2 and narrow the field to two candidates," he said, presumably referring to himself and current frontrunner John Kerry, a US senator from Massachusetts.

Mr Dean has said in earlier statements that he would remain a candidate at least until "Super Tuesday" on March 2, when 10 states, including California and New York, vote. The two states account for more than 600 delegates.

Despite finishing no better than third in any of the seven states contested this past Tuesday, he is also hoping to do well in a primary on Saturday in Washington state. -AFP