Dean, others vie to be Democratic leader

The future of the Democratic Party might hinge on who is at the helm, making former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s entrance into the fray the latest topic of conversation among politicians.

Dean formally entered the race for chairman of the Democratic National Committee earlier this week and will compete against several other prominent party members for the position. He would replace current Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

Since losing the presidential election in November, Democrats have been scrambling to determine a direction that will lead to power. Some say embracing values the way the Republican Party has will prove successful, while others say the party should define its stance on key issues.

Dean likely would want the party to focus on issues rather than values, pundits say.

“I think Dean is perceived as being the candidate of the more ‘We have to indicate clearly what our policies are and make it much clearer how we differ from the Republicans,’” said William Mayer, a political science professor at Northeastern University in Boston.

And if Dean garners enough support, the party will have elected to follow his lead, making the decision all the more important.

“It’s in choosing people like their national chairman that they resolve these sorts of issues,” Mayer said. “If this choice has any significance, that’s it.

“It gives you some sense of where the party is going to be headed in the next couple of years.”

But Dean is by no means a shoo-in for the position, and his New England background could hurt his chances, said UNC political science professor Thad Beyle.

“There’s probably an uneasy feeling about New England,” he said. “The label is that too many liberals come out of New England. That could be a problem to get a broader base.”

And if Dean is chosen to succeed McAuliffe, Mayer said he likely would have to do so under one condition: that he not run for president in 2008.

“I would imagine there are some people who are going to say, ‘We don’t mind you being chairman of the party, as long as you don’t use it as a launching pad for another presidential run,’” Mayer said. “Not that a promise like that would be binding anyway.”

The race, which includes former U.S. representatives and party leaders across the nation, will conclude with a Feb. 12 election.

Others interested in leading the party include former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, former Texas Rep. Martin Frost, New Democrat Network leader Simon Rosenberg, former Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Leland and strategist Donnie Fowler.

The number of people vying for the position could be another sign that the Democrats are struggling, Beyle said.

“I think it shows that there is a lack of central leadership and there is an awareness that there needs to be some new thinking about what the Democrats are about.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.