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February 19, 2004

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Former Vermont governor Howard Dean officially announced Wednesday that he would no longer actively campaign for president.

The announcement capped one of the largest political turnarounds in memory. Just a month ago going into the Iowa caucus he was the Democratic frontrunner sitting on a record sized campaign chest and top-name endorsements.

Speaking in Burlington, Dean announced he would turn his campaign organization into a grass-roots network to "transform the Democratic Party and change our country."

The announcement came one day after Dean came in a distant third in the Wisconsin primary behind Senators John Kerry and John Edwards. Dean was O for 17, having won none of the primaries and caucuses held so far with the exception of the District of Columbia’s unofficial primary in January that awarded no delegates.

While Dean won’t actively campaign, he didn’t officially drop out so his name will remain on the ballots in upcoming primaries and he urged supporters to continue to vote for him in upcoming races. Dean didn’t mention any of the other remaining candidates by name but he vowed to support the party’s eventual nominee.

Yesterday he took to the stage and addressed a crowd of supporters in Burlington Vermont. This is an excerpt of what he had to say.

• Peter Freyne, columnist with Seven Days, the largest weekly newspaper in Vermont.