Dean has raised more than any DNC Chair in history

One hundred days into his tenure as the high-energy, higher-decibel chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is in trouble with party moneybags.

Text interviews with party chairmen whose states Mr. Dean picked for increased financial aid are singing his praises. Some even are criticizing previous party leaders for routinely writing off the red states before the election.

    “The Republicans have been beating our brains out for too many years because of their greater ability in grass-roots organizing and a willingness to put more resources into that,” said Mr. Achelpohl, party chairman of one of eight red states that Mr. Dean has targeted for additional funding.

    The first states Mr. Dean targeted were West Virginia, North Dakota, North Carolina and Missouri. He later added Nevada, Mississippi, Wyoming and Nebraska.

    “Dean is committed to a restructuring of the Democratic Party. I don’t want to disparage [former DNC Chairman] Terry McAuliffe, but last year the DNC raised $400 million, and Nebraska’s share of that was $12,000,” Mr. Achelpohl said.

    Soon after his election Feb. 12 to run the party, Mr. Dean, the former Vermont governor and failed presidential candidate, asked all of the state parties to submit plans on how they would rebuild their organizations.

    “We’re very pleased with the DNC and Howard Dean’s commitment to the grass roots in West Virginia with their financial efforts,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey. “They’ve committed $174,600 a year through the 2008 election.”

    The money, which varies from state to state, will be used to hire state party organizers, conduct field training and build voter lists. In a recent fundraising plea for an additional $250,000 to add more states to the list, Mr. Dean said the plan is “to beef up infrastructure and … connect people with the local party.”