Dean Needs To Rapidly Expand Base

By the numbers, Dean has rolled over most of his leading competitors, raising $40 million last year and becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to turn down public financing for his campaign.

But one of his major goals, signing up 900,000 supporters, fell short. By year's end, the campaign registered 554,163 supporters, which two senior aides characterized as a disappointment that underscored the urgent need to expand Dean's circle beyond people who simply loathe the Bush administration and opposed the war.

The members of Dean's village are people like Vogel and Carini and Pinkus, who have been voting for nearly three decades. And they are people like Jenna Hauguard of Patagonia, Ariz., a 30-year-old coffee shop owner drawn to Dean by what she believes is a message of optimism.

So why did she send him a $100 check, the first time she has made such a contribution? She believes Dean when he says the only way he can win the election is for 2 million people to contribute $100 each.