Politics

Howard Dean ‘testing the waters’ in Iowa and New Hampshire

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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Is Howard Dean actually thinking about running for president again?

The former governor of Vermont, Democratic National Committee chairman and 2004 presidential candidate is headed back to Iowa and New Hampshire, according to local news reports.

James Pindell, the political director of New Hampshire’s WMUR, reported Tuesday in a story titled, “Howard Dean to visit NH during presidential campaign ‘testing the waters’ phase” that the Democrat is visiting the Granite State next month.

The popular liberal was once seen as the Democratic front-runner to take on President George W. Bush in 2004. But he is often remembered today for his infamous “Dean scream” the night of the Iowa caucuses after he placed third and vowed to continue his campaign.

The Daily Caller asked former Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi for his thoughts on a potential Dean campaign. Trippi emphasized that he does not know Dean’s thinking on a run, though predicted the Democratic Party base would be excited about it.

“I think many on the left would rally to his candidacy should he decide to run,” Trippi told TheDC. “I do not know how serious he is though. I think Hillary Clinton casts a shadow over any potential Democrats including Dean if she decides to run in 2016. If she doesn’t run Howard Dean would be a very strong contender for the nomination.”

Dean, according to WMUR, is set to deliver a speech on health care at the Saint Anselm College New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Sept. 23.

This week, he’s also heading to Hawkeye State.

In Iowa, Dean is traveling to Altoona on Tuesday for the Iowa Federation of Labor Convention. He’s expected to promote the group Democracy for America, which has the goal of turning more states blue.

In June, Dean told CNN he was open to another run.

“I am not driven by my own ambition,” Dean said. “What I am driven by is pushing the country in a direction that it desperately needs to be pushed; pushing other politicians who aren’t quite as frank as I am who need to be more candid with the American people about what needs to happen. I am not trying to hedge, it’s a hard job running. It’s really tough. I am doing a lot of things I really enjoy. But you should never say never in this business.”

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