Release date: Feb. 17, 2004

Dean's Campaign Over, But His Message Lives On

Contact:
Elaine Justice, 404-727-0643, ejustic@emory.edu
Deb Hammacher, 404-727-0644, dhammac@emory.edu

As Howard Dean's presidential campaign sputters to a close after the Wisconsin primary, Democrats should give some thanks to the former front-runner, observes Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz.

One strong and lingering effect of Dean's campaign is that he caused the other candidates to step up and sharpen their messages and criticism of President Bush. "In a way, the message succeeded even if the messenger failed," Abramowitz says. Although criticism of Bush would have eventually taken hold with the Democratic contenders even without Dean, he was the first to openly slam the administration's policies--rhetoric that is now a regular part of the campaign, he says.

Dean's use of the Internet to raise millions and mobilize grassroots support is already widely copied by other campaigns, a trend that will continue to grow. In general, he says, it looks like the Democratic Party will be very unified, even if the Democratic field was initially divided against Dean. All of the candidates, including Dean, seem to have no problems getting behind Kerry and working to defeat Bush, he says.

Abramowitz is a nationally known expert on national politics and elections and the author of the recently published "Voice of the People: Elections and Voting in the United States." His expertise includes election forecasting models, party realignment in the United States, congressional elections and the effects of political campaigns on the electorate. He can discuss the Democratic primaries, polling results and the general outlook for the 2004 election season. Reach Abramowitz at 404-727-0108 or polsaa@emory.edu.

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