Bill Bradley to Back Dean
Bill Bradley to Back Dean
By JODI WILGOREN
Published: January 5, 2004
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa, Jan. 5 — Former Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey will endorse Howard Dean at a breakfast in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Dean campaign said today, adding to a growing list of marquee Democrats backing his bid for the party's 2004 presidential nomination.
Dr. Dean, the insurgent turned front-runner, will interrupt four days of intense campaigning in this first caucus state for a surprise overnight trip to New Hampshire, according to a late change in his schedule. After the breakfast in Manchester, Mr. Bradley is expected to accompany Dr. Dean on his return to Iowa to echo the announcement, according to officials of the Dean campaign and other Democrats familiar with the plan.
The coming endorsement was first reported this morning on the Web site of the Boston Globe.
"I cannot confirm or deny," Dr. Dean, a former governor of Vermont, said with a grin today when asked about the report at Tom's Restaurant, a diner where he had breakfast with local Democratic leaders here. "I can't talk about this."
"How about, how about," he continued, stopping himself when his press secretary poked his head through the crowd of reporters. "No, I can't talk about this. We'll talk about this at the next stop. Maybe. I can't say anything about this right now because, I just can't. It's not fair."
With an endorsement, Senator Bradley will join his former rival for the 2000 Democratic presidential nomination, Vice President Al Gore, in backing Dr. Dean, who has spent most of the 2004 campaign bashing Washington politicians, but has nonetheless begun to collect their support in greater numbers.
So, as yet another respected Democrat backs Dean, what will Joe Lieberman say now? Bradley should have called him? Yeesh.
posted by Steve @ 3:50:00 PM
