PRESIDENTIAL RACE Dean's downturn silences endorsers

Dean said he must win the Wisconsin primary or he is out of the race.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
WASHINGTON -- Three days before the Iowa caucuses, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean passed Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri in House endorsements when Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Missouri became the 35th representative to endorse his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
That Jan. 16 announcement capped Dean's vigorous campaign to pocket as many endorsements as possible from high-level officials -- none more dramatic than the one a month earlier from former Vice President Al Gore. Gore's embrace, soon followed by endorsements from former Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey and Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, seemed to cement Dean's status as the front-runner.
Now, with Dean's candidacy in trouble, some politicians who jumped early on his bandwagon are expressing regrets, though so far none has done so publicly.
"I've heard people say, in a joking way, that they sure picked the wrong horse," said Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, who -- though courted by Dean and Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts -- has steadfastly refused to endorse a candidate. "They were trying to kick up support for him and create a front-runner. It did not pan out as anticipated."
Staying in contact
Members of Congress who endorsed Dean hold a weekly conference call with the candidate, discussing the campaign and emphasizing the need to win a primary soon.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California organizes the weekly calls from the dining room of her home so she won't violate a ban on political activity in congressional offices. The first member of Congress to endorse Dean -- last April -- Lofgren said she is "glad I endorsed him, and glad I endorsed him when I did. It helped get the attention he needed when he needed it."
Rep. Xavier Becerra of California, who endorsed Dean on Dec. 15, said Wednesday that he stood by his choice. "I'd love to still see him be the nominee," Becerra said. "I'm still enthusiastic. I believe in his message."
But many on Capitol Hill who loudly supported Dean are now much harder to find for comments on the campaign. A half-dozen did not return calls; an aide to one congressman said his boss would not be calling back because "there have been a lot of changes in the campaign."
Critical state
Meanwhile, Dean told supporters today he will be out of the race if he fails to win the Wisconsin primary, declaring "all that you have worked for these past months is on the line on a single day, in a single state."
Asked if Dean plans to end his campaign if he loses in Wisconsin on Feb. 17, Dean spokesman Jay Carson said: "It's a moot point because we are going to win Wisconsin. ... This is an e-mail to supporters to let them know how important Wisconsin is to the campaign."
In the e-mail distributed today, Dean wrote: "The entire race has come down to this: we must win Wisconsin. ... We will get a boost this weekend in Washington, Michigan, and Maine, but our true test will be the Wisconsin primary. A win there will carry us to the big states of March 2 and narrow the field to two candidates. Anything less will put us out of this race."
Dean is trying to rally his supporters and raise money by casting Wisconsin as a last stand against the establishment candidates. The e-mail, which included a plea for a $100 contribution, resulted in $26,000 in online contributions between 8 and 9 a.m. today, aides said.
Dean, once the front-runner with $41 million in campaign funds, has failed to win a single delegate contest since voting began with the Iowa caucuses Jan. 19. He finished a distant third in Iowa, behind Kerry and John Edwards, and was runner-up to Kerry in the New Hampshire primary Jan. 27. He did not win any of the seven states that had caucuses or primaries Tuesday.
Dean and Kerry's other major rivals for the nomination, Edwards and Wesley Clark, were fanning across the country today in search of support in upcoming contests that can keep them competitive.