A group of political activists has given up its bid to draft former presidential candidate Howard Dean as the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate. A committee of Dean’s backers had vowed to mount a floor fight at the Democratic National Convention in Boston to draft Dean.
But the group has given up on that idea now that Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has chosen North Carolina Senator John Edwards as his running mate.
Michael Meurer of Los Angeles is co-chairman of the Draft Dean movement. He says he talked to Dean during a California appearance last week and Dean urged him to abandon the effort.
Meurer says he and his colleagues plan to close ranks behind Kerry and Edwards. But they’re also asking the convention to endorse a resolution acknowledging Dean’s contributions during his campaign.