Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, seeking to build a sense of momentum behind his candidacy for Democratic National Committee chairman, yesterday unveiled more than a dozen endorsements, including those of several prominent African American members of the DNC and Alma Brown, widow of former party chairman and commerce secretary Ron Brown.
Dean is using endorsements strategically to convey breadth of support. Last week he announced that he has support from state party leaders in almost every region, including the South and Southwest.
 
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His latest list of endorsements highlighted that African Americans, one of the largest blocs on the national committee, are not uniformly behind the candidacy of former Denver mayor Wellington Webb, who is black.
Still, several prominent DNC members said they believe the race for party chairman remains an open battle. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said in an interview Monday that he believes talk of Dean's momentum is overstated, and Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Al Gore in 2000, left a voice-mail message saying, "This . . . thing ain't over."
Party officials and strategists said former representative Martin Frost of Texas appears to be Dean's principal competition but cautioned that the field is fluid.
Dean's latest endorsements included two former DNC finance chairmen and former DNC chairman Steve Grossman, who was an early supporter of Dean's presidential campaign. The group also included Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (Ill.); Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who chairs the DNC's Black Caucus; Minyon Moore, a former DNC and Clinton administration official; the Rev. Willie Barrow, a longtime member of the DNC; and Yolanda Caraway, who was a top adviser to Brown when he led the committee.
In a related move, the liberal organization MoveOn.org announced that it would poll its members on the DNC race, asking them to submit questions to the candidates and to express their preferences once the answers are in.
The DNC plans to meet in Washington on Feb. 12 to select a new leader.
No Kennedy vs. Cuomo
So much for the battle of the dynasties in New York.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the late U.S. senator and slain 1968 presidential candidate, announced yesterday he will not run for New York attorney general in 2006, thereby avoiding a possible clash with Andrew M. Cuomo, housing secretary in the Clinton administration and son of former governor Mario M. Cuomo.
In a statement, Kennedy, an environmental activist, made it clear that someday he will run for office -- just not next year. "Over time, it has become increasingly clear that a run for public office -- where I can bring greater effect to the issues for which I care deeply -- will indeed be the next step in my career," he said. "However, after careful consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided that I cannot take this step at this time."
