Chairman set to leave Dean camp

Grossman, who headed Kerry's 1996 Senate reelection campaign and shocked the party establishment in 2002 when he chose to support Dean over Kerry in the impending presidential race, said he planned to make the switch because he expected Dean to shift his campaign from that of a formal candidacy to one that more resembles a political movement should he lose the primary. It would be Dean's 17th straight loss, a precipitous decline for a political figure who led the polls as recently as December and outraised the Democratic field last year.

"If Howard loses the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday night, I will either reach out to the Kerry organization, they will reach out to me, or there will be a simultaneous outreach effort by both sides. And I will make a public commitment to do anything and everything I can to help John Kerry become the next president of the United States, including, but not limited to, building bridges between the two organizations so John Kerry can benefit from the strength of the Dean organization," Grossman, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a telephone interview from Stowe, Vt., where he was skiing with his family.

Grossman said he expected Dean himself to adopt a pro-Kerry posture following the primary, deleting any of his recent harsh criticism of Kerry from a speech as early as Wednesday in which he will outline his future political plans. Indeed, in last night's candidates' forum, Dean uncharacteristically defended Kerry against Republican attacks.

"Howard has made it clear to me and others that the clearest objective for the Democratic Party is to defeat George Bush and to elect a Democratic president. And to achieve that, he is ready to support the Democratic nominee," Grossman said. "There will be a fundamental shift in his tone and rhetoric following Tuesday."

The news stunned the upper echelon of Dean's campaign apparatus, which was already reeling from a wire story earlier in the day in which Grossman was quoted as saying he expected Dean to bow out of the presidential race. In the aftermath of that story, Roy Neel, who runs the campaign on a daily basis as chief executive officer, called Grossman to get an explanation of his comments. Dean also called the Associated Press to declare: "We are not bowing out. In fact, we are staying in the race."

Several hours later, after The New York Times posted news of Grossman's impending departure on its website, one top Dean official said, "Well, I guess Steve's cut his own deal through the media." The decision was also a surprise to some of Kerry's top aides, although the Massachusetts senator and his brother, Cameron, were aware of recent entreaties by Grossman, one top Kerry adviser said on the condition of anonymity.

Despite Dean's public protestations, he is clearly poised to ratchet back his campaign should he lose tomorrow, although he remains undecided about the best way to remain a political presence.

The former governor planned to speak with Kerry as soon as today to discuss their relationship, a top Democratic Party operative said on the condition of anonymity. And Neel is exploring converting Dean's presidential apparatus into a political action group like the one that attacked Dean before he lost Iowa's caucuses.

But in Dean's case, the group's purpose would not be to harm other Democratic candidates, but to help the party defeat President Bush, elect a Democratic Congress, and advance the agenda that the former Vermont governor has pushed during his two-year presidential campaign: health care for all Americans, a balanced budget, and foreign policies based on diplomatic cooperation.

Such groups are known as 527s, named for the section of the federal tax code that defines such entities. The groups are exempt from taxation so long as they are aimed at voter mobilization. They recently have come under review by the Federal Election Commission after protests that they are being used to advocate for specific candidates, in violation of a campaign finance law that took effect in November 2002.

One 527, Americans for Jobs, Health Care & Progressive Values, aired ads critical of Dean before the Iowa caucuses, including one with an image of Osama bin Laden that questioned Dean's national security credentials.

According to Democratic Party operatives speaking on the condition of anonymity, Dean's group -- which probably would be named in consultation with his supporters -- would be funded through appeals to the core of donors who helped Dean raise $41 million last year for his presidential campaign, a record for any Democrat during a primary season. Dean burned through much of that money as he sought unsuccessfully to win the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, which were then followed by 14 losses in nomination contests.

Dean has little money left in his campaign account. He has said repeatedly that he will not allow his campaign to operate at a financial loss.

Neel, a former Clinton administration aide, was brought on to head Dean's operation after his loss in New Hampshire. Neel's hiring prompted the campaign's manager at the time, Joe Trippi, to resign. It also led the campaign to refocus on Wisconsin as the best hope for Dean's rejuvenation. Polls indicate that victory in Wisconsin would be a long shot, with Dean potentially finishing third behind Kerry and John Edwards, a senator from North Carolina. Neel has shifted his attention to helping Dean organize a graceful exit from the race, the operatives said.

Grossman said he saw no inconsistency in returning to the Kerry camp despite his support for Dean. "It's never been negative statements about John Kerry," Grossman said. "I don't think I have undermined his credibility, so I'm very comfortable with him being the nominee of the party. Would I have preferred Howard Dean? Sure. But I want to see the party put forth the strongest candidate, and if I can play a small role in helping to create unity within the Democratic Party, I will do that."

(Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com.)