The "Dean Dozen" in

American politics The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that Separation of powers, share powers. These are: the United States Congress, U.S. Congre ...

, was the collective term for six groups of 12 candidates endorsed by

Democracy for America Democracy for America (DFA) is a progressive political action committee, headquartered in Burlington, Vermont. Founded by former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean in 2004, DFA leads public awareness campaigns on a variety of pub ...

, the political action committee led by former Vermont governor and

presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, lobbyist, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 200 ...

, in the 2004 elections. Those chosen to be in the Dean Dozens were Democrats. Governor Dean called the Dean Dozen "the progressive movement’s best chance at taking back Congress." Candidates Selected received significant promotion by progressive groups through emails, fundraisers, and speeches. Democracy for America also fundraisers for the candidates directly, using their membership of over a million citizens to seek contributions for candidates directly They came from across the U.S. and ran for widely varying positions, from county

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. No incumbents were chosen, and members of Dean Dozens also tended to target key districts. Candidates in bold won. In the 2012 elections Governor Dean selected a new Dean Dozen to receive the endorsement of DFA.

List of Dean Dozens

First

*Mary Ann Andreas: 80th State Assembly District, California *Ken Campbell: Oconee County Representative, South Carolina State House *

Maria Chappelle-Nadal Maria Nicole Chappelle-Nadal (born October 3, 1974) is an American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives from the 86th district from 2019 to 2021. A Democrat from University City, Missouri, she represented district 14 in ...

: 72nd State House District, Missouri State House *Scott Clark, Mark Manoil and Nina Trasoff: Arizona Corporation Commission *

Kim Hynes Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

Connecticut State Representative The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

*Richard Morrison:

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

and

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Candidate from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

*Rob MacKenna: Supervisor of Elections in Hillsborough County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

*Monica Palacios-Boyce:

Massachusetts State Representative The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 countie ...

Lori Saldaña Lori R. Saldaña (born November 7, 1958) is an American politician from San Diego, California. She is a former member of the California State Assembly from the 76th Assembly district (central San Diego). She served from 2004 to 2010, when term l ...

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

* Jeff Smith: State Senator from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

*Donna Red Wing: District 25, Colorado State House

Second

Kalyn Free Kalyn Free is an American attorney, former political candidate, and a tribal citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Early legal and political career Free was born in Red Oak, Oklahoma. Free is a graduate of Red Oak High School, Southeastern ...

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

(Lost in primary) *

Tom Potter Thomas Jay Potter (born September 12, 1940) is a former American politician and law enforcement officer in the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as Mayor of Portland from 2005 to 2009, and had been the chief of the Portland Police Bureau. As mayor ...

: Mayor of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

Alisha Thomas Morgan Alisha Thomas Morgan or Alisha Thomas Searcy (born September 5, 1978) is an American politician. She was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 2003 to 2015, representing the 39th district. Personal life and education Morgan gradu ...

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

* Samara "Sam" Barend:

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Peter Corroon Peter Maitland Corroon (born July 16, 1964) is an American politician, former Utah Democratic Party chair, and the former mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah. He was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in the 2010 election. Corroon is a ...

: mayor of

Salt Lake County, Utah Salt Lake County is located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 1,185,238, making it the most populous county in Utah. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. The coun ...

*Vicki Walker: Missouri State House * David Van Os:

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the supreme court, court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the ...

*Patrick McCormick: County Council for

DeKalb County, Illinois DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 100,420. Its county seat is Sycamore. DeKalb County is part of the Chicago-Naperville- Elgin, IL- IN- WI Metropolitan Stati ...

Jonathan Bing Jonathan L. Bing (born March 13, 1970) is an American attorney and politician. He was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly from the 73rd district. Political career A resident of Manhattan's East Side for two decades, Bing was f ...

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

*Christine Cegelis:

from

*Don McDaniel:

*Nelson Thompson:

Board of Chosen Freeholders In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the b ...

for

Cumberland County, New Jersey Cumberland County is a coastal county located on the Delaware Bay in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 154,152, making it the 16th-largest of the state's 21 counties. Its county seat is Bridg ...

Third

*Jim Stork: United States Congress from Florida *

Tami Green Tami J. Green is an American politician of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. She is a former member of the Washington House of Representatives, representing the 28th district. References Further reading Biography on Washi ...

: Washington State House of Representatives *Susan Clary: Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor of Orange County, Fl *Eddgra Fallin: School Board in Huntsville, Al. S *Missy Taylor: Kansas House of Representatives. *Judge William O'Neill: Supreme Court of Ohio. *

Patti Fritz Patti Fritz (born October 20, 1944) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 24B, which included all or por ...

: Minnesota State House District 26B. *

Scott Kawasaki Scott Jiu Wo Kawasaki (born March 20, 1975) is an American healthcare professional and politician from Alaska. A Democrat, he is a member of the Alaska Senate representing the state's District A, which includes neighborhoods within the city lim ...

: Alaska State House * Lois Herr: United States Congress from Pennsylvania. *James Whitaker: Michigan State House. * Edward Ableser: Arizona House of Representatives.

2012 Dean Dozen

José M. Hernández José Moreno Hernández (born August 7, 1962) is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He currently serves as a Regents of the University of California, Regent of the University of California. Hernández was assigned to the crew of Sp ...

(CA-10) *

Kathy Boockvar Kathryn Boockvar (, born October 23, 1968) is an American attorney and politician who served as the secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from January 5, 2019 to February 5, 2021. She was appointed to the position by Governor Tom Wolf. Bo ...

(PA-8) *

Carol Shea-Porter Carol Shea-Porter (born December 2, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who is the former member of the United States House of Representatives for . She held the seat from 2007 to 2011, 2013 to 2015, and 2017 to 201 ...

(NH-1) *

Joe Miklosi Joe Miklosi is an American businessman and politician who served as a Colorado Representative from 2009 to 2013, he worked eight years for Project C.U.R.E., an international health care nonprofit organization, which donates life-saving medical su ...

(CO-6) *

Martin Heinrich Martin Trevor Heinrich (; born October 17, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the U.S. ...

(NM-Sen) *

Shelli Yoder Shelli Renee Yoder (born August 30, 1968) is an American politician serving in the Indiana Senate for Monroe County, Indiana from Senate District 40. A former Miss Indiana and a Miss America 1993 contestant, Yoder has held positions at a number ...

(IN-9) *

Annie Kuster Ann L. McLane Kuster (born September 5, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously worked as a lobbyist. Early life and education Kuster was bor ...

(NH-02) * Raul Ruiz (CA-36) *

Manan Trivedi Manan Trivedi (born May 22, 1974) is an American physician, politician, Iraq War veteran and perennial candidate. He was the Democratic nominee for in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 elections, losing to his Republican opponents in each election. Ear ...

(PA-06) *

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...

(MA-Sen) *

Mazie Hirono Mazie Keiko Hirono (; Japanese name: , ; born November 3, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Hawaii since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Hirono previously served as a member of the ...

(HI-Sen) *

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Wisconsin since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms in the Wisconsin Stat ...

(WI-Sen)

Others

Other endorsed candidates include: *

Paul Babbitt Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, candidate for U.S. representative from Arizona *

Jerry McNerney Gerald Mark McNerney (born June 18, 1951) is an American businessman, politician, and the U.S. representative for , from 2007 until 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district, numbered as the 11th district until 2013, was based ...

and Jim Brandt, candidates for U.S. representative from California *

Stan Matsunaka Stanley Toshi Matsunaka (born November 12, 1953) is a former Democratic member of the Colorado State Senate, serving from 1995 to 2003. He served as President of the Senate for two years. In both the 2002 and 2004 congressional elections, Mat ...

, candidate for U.S. representative from Colorado *

Jon Jennings Jon Paul Jennings (born October 2, 1962) is an American politician and basketball coach currently serving as city manager of Clearwater, Florida. He was formerly the city manager of Portland, Maine, as well as the founder, president, and general m ...

and Melina Fox, candidates for U.S. representative from Indiana *

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——— ...

, candidate for U.S. representative from Kentucky *

Nancy Farmer Nancy Farmer is an American author of children's and young adult books and science fiction. She has written three Newbery Honor Books and won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature for ''The House of the Scorpion'', publish ...

, candidate for U.S. senator from Missouri *

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democrat ...

, candidate for governor of Montana * John Lynch, candidate for governor of New Hampshire * Amy Vasquez, Anne Wolfe,

Herb Conaway Herbert C. Conaway Jr. (born January 30, 1963) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 1998, where he represents the New Jersey's 7th legislative dist ...

, and Steve Brozak, candidates for U.S. representative from New Jersey * Richard Romero, candidate for U.S. representative from New Mexico *

Patsy Keever Patsy Rouzer Keever (born December 20, 1947) is a North Carolina educator and Democratic politician. Family and education Patsy Rouzer Keever was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She attended NC public schools and graduated from ...

, candidate for U.S. representative from North Carolina * Greg Harris and Jeff Seemann, candidates for U.S. representative from Ohio *

Joe Hoeffel Joseph Merrill Hoeffel III ( ; born September 3, 1950) is an American author and politician. A Democrat, Hoeffel was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005, representing Pennsylvania's 13th congressional distri ...

, candidate for U.S. senator from Pennsylvania *

Peter Clavelle Peter A. Clavelle (born May 10, 1949) is an American politician who served as the 38th and 40th mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and was the first member of a third party to hold the office since James Edmund Burke in 1935. Bernie Sanders also won ...

, candidate for governor of Vermont *

Al Weed The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 7, 2006 to determine who will represent the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Virginia has eleven seats in the Hou ...

and James Socas, candidates for U.S. representative from Virginia

References

{{Howard Dean Political terminology of the United States Howard Dean