Where to, Democrats?

A CAMPAIGN is on behind the scenes to set a new course for the Democratic Party. National and state party leaders meet this weekend in Orlando. In February, 447 voting members of the Democratic National Committee will meet to choose a replacement for chairman Terry McAuliffe.

A variety of candidates are being named as possible successors -- among them former governors Howard Dean of Vermont and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; former mayors Wellington Webb of Denver and Ron Kirk of Dallas; operatives like former White House Chief of Staff Harold Ickes, New Democrat Network president Simon Rosenberg and strategist Donnie Fowler; telecom executive Leo Hindery; and US Representative Martin Frost of Texas.

Members of Congress and chairmen of the 50 state party organizations are pushing the candidates to broaden the DNC's focus from its longtime fixation on winning presidential elections to building a long-term infrastructure. For too long, they say, the organization's resources have been devoted primarily to raising money and turning out votes for presidential campaigns, at the expense of virtually everything else. During the hiatus between national campaigns, the fund-raising, organizing, and communications apparatus in Washington have been underutilized, and state party organizations have withered on the vine.

Those pushing for this transformation are right. Whoever takes the helm must continue work begun under McAuliffe to transform the DNC from a presidential campaign-in-waiting into an effective marketing organization that works to promote Democratic values and advance the interests of candidates at the local, state, and federal levels.

While the DNC has excelled in fund-raising and get-out-the-vote organizing, it has done nothing to build a Democratic brand that clearly communicates the party's vision, values, and goals. That is one reason why so few voters understand what it means to be a Democrat. The lack of a strong party identity puts candidates at a severe disadvantage in the electoral marketplace.

To succeed, the DNC must operate less like a political campaign and more like a marketing business. That means significant investments in communications infrastructure and activities to deliver message to voters between presidential cycles. It requires an understanding that such investments will show returns over the long term. It can result in a strong, new brand identity for Democrats that will vastly improve the party's electoral prospects at all levels.

Under McAuliffe, the DNC has made important strides in this direction. When he took over as chair, the organization did not even possess the most basic tools used by businesses to cultivate markets. The Republican National Committee had mailing lists containing millions of voters that the RNC mined regularly. The DNC did not even have a voter list, much less a marketing department to utilize it.

The Republicans had state-of-the-art communications technology to deliver message. The Democrats were still using fax machines to put out press releases.

To his credit, McAuliffe made investments in infrastructure with a powerful new voter database, state-of-the-art broadcasting studios, and savvy use of the Internet. Today, the DNC can pump out 3 million e-mails per hour. Most of the $400 million raised by the DNC in this presidential election cycle came through online fund-raising. State parties have new technology and access to voter databases. The next chairman of the DNC needs to recognize the importance of these fundamentals and build on them. Serious commitments must be made to strengthen state party organizations with resources and know-how to communicate effectively. National headquarters should be staffed up with skilled, experienced marketing professionals who have the resources and creative license to do their jobs well.

The most critical element of all is a strong brand identity that resonates with voters. All the marketing savvy in the world won't work without a compelling message. A team of political communications, marketing, and branding professionals is being gathered now to set about re-branding the Democrats.

This effort will produce a strong statement of the party's values, vision for the country, and governing philosophy. The DNC can play a leading role in delivering this message skillfully and consistently.

With a clear message, skillful marketing, and strong state operations, the DNC can counter the GOP's marketing machine and turn red states blue.

Douglas J. Hattaway, a Democratic political consultant, was national spokesman for Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.