WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- With Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe vacating his spot in January and a Democratic Party facing a near total rout in last week's election, pundits, insiders and politicians are scratching around to come up with a leader to pull the party back from the precipice.
More than a handful of names have been put forth for possible candidates -- some likely and some improbable -- but all representing disparate factions of a party uncertain about its future.
Contenders face real competition for the chairmanship, despite the hard work the job will entail. The party has proven prolific in fundraising -- pulling in more than $255 million over the course of the presidential campaign -- but faces significant problems breaking into the so-called red states in Middle America.
According to Democratic analyst Steve Rabinowitz, the new chairman needs to be a consensus builder who also can capitalize on the "extraordinary output that we got from the base of the party the last couple of years" in terms of votes, small-money contributions and volunteers.
While the party's base needs to be broadened, he said, "you can't do it at the expense of that extraordinary base, and that's a tough trick."
Among the top candidates is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, whose popular but ultimately unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination crowned him the de facto head of the U.S. progressive movement.
Dean argued that the party has moved too far to the right, essentially giving voters a choice between two Republican parties.
"We are in the middle. We can't do this any more. We have come too far," he said in a speech Sunday at Dartmouth College. "We are so desperate to win that sometimes we forget what we're supposed to stand for."
Proponents of Dean, including former DNC Chair Steve Grossman, argue he would energize the party by bringing with him the groundswell grass-roots organization that thrust him into the head of the Democratic field early in the race.
Media reports and analysts have indicated Dean is campaigning for the position. However, despite Dean's rhetoric and stated desire to reform the Democratic Party, spokeswoman Laura Gross said such reports were "not true at all."
The former presidential candidate has received thousands of e-mail messages from supporters and calls from leaders like Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. but is weighing his options, she said. Jackson is a Democrat from Illinois.
"A lot of people are talking to him and he's listening to a lot of them ... (but) he's still considering.
"He hasn't even said he wants to do it."
Dean has continued working with his grass-roots organization, Democracy for America, formed in the wake of his aborted presidential run to "rebuild the Democratic Party from the ground up." The organization supported more than a dozen progressive candidates who won various offices on Election Day, the first step in this effort.
Gross said she was not concerned that Dean's former stance as the anti-establishment candidate might alienate his grassroots base.
Dean's support "comes from all over the place and it's just from all types," she said.
New Democrat Network founder and President Simon Rosenberg also was said to be edging toward the position, but he told UPI he was examining his options. He was not actively running, he said, but does intend to have a voice in shaping the party.
"I don't know that I'm going to run, but I certainly know that I want to weigh in on what happens with this party and with the chairmanship itself," he said.
Rosenberg said he was flattered by the interest, including several calls from DNC members pledging support. "I wouldn't say it's a tidal wave, but it's a trickle," he said of the calls. The expressions of interest were unsolicited, but the process was fun, he said.
"We didn't float this, this got floated by other people."
Rosenberg founded the progressive NDN in 1996, since which time it has grown in scope. He argued that despite the need for changes, the party was in a position of relative strength. The DNC raised four times as much hard money in 2004 as it had in the previous presidential election cycle, while it had some 3 million supporters in the presidential election.
Rosenberg's candidacy may be hampered by a lack of visibility.
Democrats "need name recognition among the party insiders and the young leaders," but not among the population at large, said Rabinowitz.
Meanwhile, another speculated front-runner, former Vice President Al Gore's presidential campaign manager Donna Brazile, says she is not endorsing any candidates for DNC chair, nor is she considering the position.
"I'm not interested," she told United Press International. Although her name has been cited as a possible successor, "I've never thrown my hat in the ring," she said.
"I said I want to be part of the rebuilding process, but I never indicated I wanted to be the architect in charge."
Art Torres, chairman of the California Democratic Party, and former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen have been named as potential successors. Shaheen served as national chairwoman of Kerry's campaign, while Torres has managed one of the largest state organizations. Critics argue, however, that neither has the high profile necessary to lead the party.
Also on the list is Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, who took office in 2002 and might strengthen the party's focus on Southern states, and a final big-name candidate is Harold Ickes. Ickes was closely involved in the Clinton White House and is said to be backed by the former first couple. In addition to his role as the principle strategist in the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign, Ickes ran the Media Fund throughout the 2004 election, one of the major third-party groups spending millions on campaigns for Kerry.
No decision is likely on the issue before Thanksgiving for McAuliffe's term, which expires in January. Many Democrats continue to recover from last week's election, while campaigning has not yet begun in full force.
But former DNC Chairman Joe Andrew said the focus on candidates and their supporters misses the main issue.
"The majority of the 240 voters in the contest for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Convention, the vast majority is either a state party chair or vice chair, or appointed by one. These voters don't care about the revitalization of the party on a national level," he said. "They are looking for the candidate who will return money and focus to state- and local-level operations."
He has spoken to many of the candidates -- "or the people who at least perceive themselves to be candidates" -- and is trying to help them understand the goals of their electorate, he said. He has not endorsed anyone, however, but instead is focused on "trying just to help educate everyone who has an interest here."
"This isn't about who is the flashiest candidate; it's about who is going to best address the needs and dynamic at play for the people who vote," he said.
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