PRESIDENTIAL RACE Dean is in need of a win, campaign chairman says

The former Vermont governor replaced his campaign manager Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Howard Dean must win a presidential primary in the next two weeks to keep even his most loyal donor base -- those giving modest amounts over the Internet -- contributing enough to make him financially competitive, his campaign chairman said.
Despite Dean's third-place finish in Iowa and second-place showing in New Hampshire this month, small-dollar donors have continued giving, helping Dean raise more than $100,000 on Wednesday and more than $1.8 million in the past week, Steve Grossman said.
"Now we have to give them a return on their investment pretty soon, which is why we have to put a win on the boards sometime between now and Feb. 7 to restore and revitalize their sense of the campaign's momentum," Grossman said in a telephone interview Wednesday with The Associated Press.
"Success in the next 10 days is absolutely essential" for the campaign to remain competitive financially, and Dean knows it, Grossman said.
Manager replaced
Dean tried to jump-start his campaign Wednesday by replacing campaign manager Joe Trippi with Roy Neel, a longtime associate of former Vice President Al Gore. Dean named Neel the campaign's CEO, and Trippi resigned.
Grossman, a Massachusetts businessman, believes it will be easier for the campaign to hold onto its small-dollar donors during the tough times than big check writers like those who give the maximum $2,000 allowed.
Dean's fund-raisers are realistic about that, Grossman said. Campaign strategists met last weekend in New Hampshire with about 100 of the 160 members of "Dean's List," volunteers who each raised $50,000 or more for Dean, he said, adding that the meeting was scheduled before the Iowa loss.
"Common sense tells you and me that for them to do another major fund-raiser for Howard Dean, they've got to have something to talk to people about," he said. "Because those major fund-raisers are going to be talking to other major contributors, and those major contributors want to know their candidate has a good chance of winning."
Dean's losses came at a critical time on the money front.
Up and down
He began his campaign more than a year ago a virtual unknown in the Democratic establishment compared to members of Congress in the race such as Sens. John Kerry, John Edwards and Joe Lieberman. Building his campaign over the Internet by appealing to small-dollar donors as an underdog, grass-roots candidate, Dean raised a Democratic record $41 million last year.
By December, with poll leads in Iowa and New Hampshire and endorsements from Gore and former Sen. Bill Bradley, Dean was on the verge of winning over prominent party fund-raisers -- the kind of longtime Democratic moneymen and women who can raise $100,000 or more by throwing a cocktail party for smaller donors who can give up to $2,000 each. Then he began to slide, finishing well behind Kerry and Edwards in Iowa last week and Kerry in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
"I think if he had knocked out these first two states you would have seen some of the regular Democratic donors moving in his direction, but I don't see that," said Harold Ickes, a former Clinton administration official now raising money for a Democratic-leaning political group. "He's fortunate that he's not relying on the big donors."
Campaign spokesman Jay Carson said Dean raised more than $4 million this month and has plenty of money to compete in next month's primaries.
Carson and Grossman declined to say how much cash Dean has on hand.
Looking ahead
While most others have concentrated their resources on the first states to vote -- Iowa, New Hampshire and Feb. 3 battlegrounds such as South Carolina -- Dean looked beyond them early on and established extensive grass-roots operations around the country.
Grossman said Dean was more likely to pull back on ads than to shut down offices and other voter outreach efforts when cutting costs.
Union efforts are complementing Dean's spending.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees political action committee has spent more than $1.6 million on get-out-the-vote drives and ads promoting Dean independent of his campaign.
PAC director Ricky Feller said he has planned as far ahead as Wisconsin's Feb. 17 primary, and isn't considering pulling the plug.
"It hasn't come to that point yet, and I don't see it on the horizon," Feller said. "I think this thing is still wide open."