Howard Dean

Howard Dean—physician and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC)—served six terms as Governor of Vermont before running for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the nation’s 2004 election. Dean also founded Democracy for America (DFA), the grassroots organization that organizes activists in local communities, trains campaign staff, and endorses progressive candidates. Recently, Dean launched a DFA healthcare reform campaign—pushing legislators to give Americans a public healthcare option. While he was Vermont’s governor, the state expanded its universal healthcare program for children and pregnant women—and also lowered its public debt, balanced its budget 11 times, and reduced income taxes.