Dr. Howard Dean III is the former governor of Vermont and a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Dean rose to national prominence during his failed 2004 presidential bid when he utilized the internet to attract donors and young people to his unorthodox campaign.

In March 2009, supporters of Dr. Howard Dean promoted him as a candidate for the position of surgeon general after Dr. Sanjay Gupta withdrew his name from consideration. Dean said he has not been contacted by the Obama Administration and has no interest in the position.Politico: Dean for surgeon general? (March 6, 2009)

After his election to the Vermont House of Representatives in 1982 and his election as lieutenant governor in 1986, Dean won the 1990 Vermont gubernatorial election and served as governor until 2003. From 1994-1995, he was the chairman of the National Governors Association. Dean focused largely on health care issues in Vermont during his tenure, dropping the uninsured rate from 12.7% to 9.6%.

Dean was the most prominent anti-Iraq War Democrat of the '04 campaign. His campaign dissolved after he unleashed the infamous "scream" during a rally after placing third at the Iowa Caucuses. When the video circulated the cable news stations for days, pundits argued that Dean was not poised enough to be President.

Most importantly for the Democratic Party, Dean was a champion of the "50 state strategy," a plan which emphasized the party's need to compete in all fifty states, rather than focus on a few swing states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Dean's primary focus once assuming the chairmanship of the DNC was to achieve parity with the Republican Party in fundraising capabilities and to ensure that Democrats were competitive with Republicans in all 50 states, including those which tend to vote overwhelmingly Republican. Utilizing this strategy during the 2008 Election, Dean was able to win several traditionally Republican states, including North Carolina and Virginia.God-O-Meter (BeliefNet): Howard Dean's Vindication (November 6, 2008) His leadership of DNC ended in January 2009.44 (Washington Post): Dean to Step Down as DNC Chair (November 10, 2008)