Howard Dean Drops Out Of DNC Chairmanship Race, No Screams Were Heard

Well, there was no screaming this time, but former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who also headed the Democratic National Committee, has decided to withdraw from the DNC’s chairmanship race (via Politico):

Saying the party needs to avoid a fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters, and that the party needs a full-time chairman, Dean took himself out of the running, leaving the race to Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley and South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison.

Dean has been credited with increasing the number of Democrats holding office at the state and local level, which has been wiped out since Obama won the presidency in 2008. He thought he would be an ideal candidate to reverse the GOP gains across the spectrum, noting that he had found a way to win. At the same time, there were rumblings that a civil war between the Sanders and Clinton factions over the DNC chair position could erupt; something that Dean feared.