Two contenders for Democratic Party chairman have...

Two contenders for Democratic Party chairman have withdrawn their candidacies a week before party leaders will gather to choose someone for the post. Former Arizona Rep. John Cavanaugh and Sharon Pratt Dixon, a national committee member from the District of Columbia, asked that their names be removed from consideration by the Democratic National Committee. The race generally has been considered a contest involving Paul Kirk, the current party treasurer and a former aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.); Nancy Pelosi, past California state chairman, and former North Carolina Gov. Terry Sanford.