Ex-Sen. Bradley to Give Dean Another Key Endorsement

Bill Bradley, who ran for president four years ago as a reformer and champion of universal health care, will endorse Howard Dean today at a joint appearance in New Hampshire, giving the former Vermont governor the backing of the two contestants in the often-bitter 2000 Democratic presidential contest.

The support of Bradley, a former New Jersey senator and pro basketball legend, underscores Dean’s transition from insurgent to odds-on favorite in the fight for this year’s Democratic nomination. Last month, Dean gained the support of former Vice President Al Gore, who defeated Bradley in the party’s 2000 race.

Dean confirmed Bradley’s endorsement at a Monday night stop in Fargo, N.D. Speaking to an enthusiastic audience of about 800 supporters, Dean alluded to “a news story out ... that says Bill Bradley’s going to endorse me.”

“If there’s a candidate in the Democratic Party that can bring together the two candidates for president the last time [who] fought like crazy, maybe we’re not the weakest candidate,” Dean said, a reference to questions some of his rivals have raised about his electability.

“Maybe we’re the strongest candidate, and the only one that can unite all the Democrats around the country who’ve been disappointed with the Democrats in Washington.”

Even before Dean’s comments, word of Bradley’s embrace had widely circulated among political insiders, leaving Dean rivals again dismissing the import of an endorsement each would have gladly accepted.

“As with the Gore endorsement, I really believe that the people in Iowa, the people in New Hampshire, the people in Oklahoma, are going to make this decision,” said Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who worked closely with Bradley in Congress on tax reform issues during the 1980s. “Endorsements are great, but people don’t listen much to what other people think about candidates, even other political figures.”

Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts said of Bradley: “He doesn’t vote in Iowa and he doesn’t vote in New Hampshire,” referring to contests that open the nomination process this month.

Still, the Bradley backing and its attendant publicity help build momentum for Dean as he heads into the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses. Dean also won the endorsement Monday of Dolores Huerta, cofounder of the United Farm Workers of America.

“Any endorsement from anyone of prominence is meaningful” with so few days left before the Iowa vote and the Jan. 27 New Hampshire primary, said political strategist Eric Hauser, who worked as Bradley’s press secretary in 2000.

Like Dean, Bradley campaigned four years ago as an outsider, pledging to create “a new kind of politics.” His campaign got off to a strong start; he matched Gore in fundraising at one point-- no small feat against a sitting vice president.

But Bradley’s candidacy eventually succumbed to Gore’s fierce attacks and organizational advantages. Bradley lost badly in the Iowa caucuses, did better in the New Hampshire primary a week later but ultimately dropped out of the race in early March without winning a single state.

Even so, many political analysts credit the three-term senator with turning the focus of the 2000 Democratic primary onto issues such as universal health care and race relations. And he left many fond memories in New Hampshire, where some voters still reminisce about his candidacy.

“I’m looking for another Bill Bradley,” retired social worker Karen Ayers said wistfully last week as she arrived for a town hall with Dean in Peterborough, N.H. “I want someone who speaks his mind, who takes the moral high ground.”

Former Bradley aides said Monday they were not surprised by his endorsement decision, especially since, like Dean in this campaign, he made plain speaking and an anti-Washington message a central part of his candidacy.

Several Bradley backers have already joined the Dean campaign, including his former campaign manager Gina Glantz, who travels full time with Dean as a senior advisor. Another former Bradley aide, Jay Carson, is Dean’s national spokesman.

With his strong denunciation of the Bush administration, Dean has been successfully tapping the same pool of upper-middle-class professionals who backed Bradley four years ago. Getting the former senator’s official backing should further enhance his appeal to those voters.

“I think there’s still a pretty strong Bradley network out there,” said Democratic strategist Gale Kaufman, who ran Bradley’s campaign in California.

For all their similarities, there have been key differences in the way Dean and Bradley have run for president.

Bradley largely ignored the barrage of criticisms from Gore -- to his political detriment, as it turned out. The laconic former senator also balked at campaign rituals, often appearing irritated by the photo opportunities his staff pressed him to do.

For his part, the pugnacious Dean is hardly shy about responding to attacks, dismissing his rivals as members of “the Washington politics as usual club,” and doggedly working 18-hour campaign days without complaining.

Both men share an appreciation for how technology is transforming politics. Bradley was one of the first candidates to raise money online, a technique Dean has relied on this year to great success, raising millions of dollars over the Internet.

The endorsement by Huerta came in statement she issued from Bakersfield.

“I have worked my entire life to empower people and give them a sense of ownership, and so it is natural that I am joining Gov. Dean’s campaign because it is based around the ideal that the power to govern comes from the people,” said Huerta.

*

Times staff writers Nick Anderson and Ronald Brownstein contributed to this report.