NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Bill and Hillary Clinton support former aide Harold Ickes for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, the New York Post reported Friday.
The former first couple "are battling behind the scenes" to bring about the election veteran liberal political operative Ickes, a former aide in the Clinton White House, into the party's chairmanship.
"This is the first test of whether the Clintons can keep their grip on the party," an unidentified Democrat told the Post. Ickes, an adviser to former New York City Democratic Mayor David Dinkins and the son of FDR's interior secretary, the Post said, helped "arrange stays in the Lincoln Bedroom for big contributors."
"He was the innkeeper when the White House became the Holiday Inn," the Post said, again citing the unnamed Democratic source. Others considering a bid for the post include former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Democratic Governor's Association Chairman Tom Vilsack of Iowa and former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who chaired Al Gore's unsuccessful 2000 presidential bid.
