"Effective
today, I am ending my campaign for chair of the Democratic National
Committee. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to share
my
vision with Democrats around the country, and I remain encouraged by
the depth and thoughtfulness DNC members have brought to this important
process of picking our next chair.
Today, I am endorsing
Governor Howard Dean to be the next Chairman of the DNC. While we
have
not always agreed on every issue, I believe his passion for our Party,
his remarkable fighting spirit, his direct and powerful way of
speaking, and his commitment to bringing regular people back into our
Party will allow him to revitalize our Party and help us win again in
the 21st century.
I call upon my supporters, and Democrats from
all parts of the Party and all parts of the country, to join me in
supporting Governor Howard Dean as the next DNC chair.
Though my
campaign is ending, my work and my commitment to the Party that I love
will continue at NDN. There I will continue to focus on the three
priorities for our Party that I spelled out in the campaign - crafting
a better agenda for our Party, investing in and building a better
infrastructure for our politics, and leading a new national commitment
to nurturing the grassroots. If we can do these three things and
do
them well in the years ahead, we can once again become a vibrant,
dynamic and winning Party.
Finally, I want to thank my staff
and my supporters across the country. Their faith in me inspired
me
each day to fight just a little harder in this important and tough
race."