Dean's Secret Fans

By KAREN TUMULTY

Catching flak has always been part of a political party chairman's job description. But the fire usually comes from the other party. The nicest thing many Democrats could find to say last week about their chairman, Howard Dean, was that he still had a lot to learn. Practically every nationally known Democrat from House minority leader Nancy Pelosi to 2004 vice-presidential nominee John Edwards seemed to be distancing themselves from Dean and his incendiary comments--asserting that many Republicans "never made an honest living in their lives" and that the G.O.P. is "pretty much a white, Christian party." Says Representative Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat: "You're not going to sell Coke by insulting Pepsi drinkers."

Even so, there's little talk of ousting Dean, whose support is stronger than ever among the Democrats who were largely responsible for putting him there in February. That includes state party chairmen from conservative parts of the country. "He's doing an excellent job," says Wayne Dowdy, party chairman in Mississippi, where, he says, a Dean appearance in April drew 1,200 people ("We've never had half that number before at a state party event") and raised more than $100,000. State Democratic parties have complained for years about being ignored by the national operation in Washington. Since taking office, Dean has traveled to some two dozen states and has sent state groups nearly $1 million. In places like North Dakota, chairman David Strauss will be able to use a promised $84,000 to pay six months of salaries for an executive director and three other jobs. Still, Dean's manner has alienated some of the party's biggest donors, who grumble they can't even get their phone calls returned by the national party headquarters. Dean aides say he is doing fine for a year in which there's no presidential race, raising roughly $1 million a week so far. But that's less than half what the Republicans say they are bringing in this year. --By Karen Tumulty. With reporting by Matthew Cooper

With reporting by Matthew Cooper