Dean announces key endorsements

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DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor running for U.S. president, has picked up the endorsement of two powerful ladies in the Democratic Party.

On Friday, he won the support of four-term Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, former chairperson of the Political Action Committee of the Congressional Black Congress and the only Michigan Democrat to currently sit on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Kilpatrick's nod of approval reflects the strong support Dean has been getting from many figures in the Democratic Party's black establishment.

Thursday night, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards endorsed Dean during an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live." Richards said Dean "got healthcare in Vermont for everyone ... 99 percent of the children in Vermont are eligible for health care."