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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Wednesday
touted its 50-state strategy, which sought to expand the party’s
competitiveness deep into red states, as one of the reasons for Democrats’ success
on Election Night. DNC Chairman Howard Dean said at the National Press Club
that President-elect Barack Obama “was right in 2004, when he said there are no
red states and no blue states; there are only American states, and we all share
the same values."
“You cannot be a national party if you are willing to
write off entire parts of our country,” Dean stated. “Based on that pretty
straightforward idea, we changed the way our party ran campaigns and reached
out to voters.”
In a memo, the DNC touted Dean’s strategy, which was
often maligned at its inception.
“Through the 50-state strategy the DNC put paid staff on
the ground (2-4 per state) in every state from Alaska to Mississippi, New
Mexico to Indiana,” the DNC memo said. “When Obama became the nominee there
were 183 people on the ground who have been there, been trained, and were
working for the nominee. Through the course of this campaign, those staff
worked to organize at least 892 field events around McCain-Palin events.”
Dean said following an election that saw Democrats take
the White House and make substantial gains in both chambers of Congress that he
“always believed that our party's message and values are core American
values."
“What we have lacked is a full-time professional party to
help communicate those values every single day and organized around them,” he
said. “And what we have lacked is a leader to inspire people to that cause. And
in Barack Obama, we have found that leader.”
The memo also praised Dean’s decision to seek votes in
the West, saying that the chairman “believed that the future of our party and
the road to the White House runs through the West.”
The document touts Dean’s decision to move up Nevada in
the Democratic primary process and to hold the Democratic convention in Denver.
Western Democratic leaders on Wednesday said the election
had shown that the West has turned blue.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) joined
Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Montana Gov. Brian
Schweitzer and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter to trumpet the party’s gains. They
pointed to Obama’s wins in Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, and Reid also
reminded reporters that Democrats now control governor’s mansions in five of
eight states in and around the Rocky Mountains.
In addition to those gains, Democratic Rep. Tom Udall
captured the New Mexico Senate seat with 61 percent of the vote, and his
cousin, Rep. Mark Udall, won the Colorado Senate seat with 52 percent.
“We all have looked forward to this moment,” Reid said.
“Just six years ago, Republicans held every governor’s mansion in the West and
seemingly had a lock on congressional elections.”
J. Taylor Rushing
contributed to this article.
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