Iowa's Sen. Harkin to endorse Dean
Boost for front-runner in final days of caucus fight
msnbc.msn.com
The Associated Press
Updated: 1:47 p.m. ET Jan. 09, 2004
DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin will endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination, party sources said Friday, giving a key boost to an embattled front-runner 10 days before the state’s kick-off caucuses.
These sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said an afternoon announcement was expected.
Harkin’s support would give Dean the backing of the state’s most durable Democratic politician, and a man whose organization can prove a vital asset on caucus night Jan 19. As a U.S. senator, Harkin is a Democratic "superdelegate" and can vote for whomever he wants at the party's July nominating convention.
Dean and his rivals for the nomination had all appealed to Harkin for backing, and the senator had said publicly in recent days he was weighing whether to choose sides, or perhaps remain neutral.
Harkin offered his support on a day Dean struggled to prevent lasting damage from the impact of remarks he made four years ago to the effect that the caucus system was dominated by extremist interests.
“Four years ago, I didn’t really understand the Iowa caucuses,” Dean said during the day.
Dean, a former Vermont governor, leads in the polls in Iowa. But caucuses demand a sophisticated organizational structure, and he has been counting on an army of young volunteers to help deliver him victory on caucus night.
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