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Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean nearly captured the MoveOn.org PAC’s endorsement for the Democratic presidential nomination. With almost 44 per cent of the vote, Dean came closest to the required 50 per cent majority, the political advocacy group announced Friday.  

More than 300,000 members participated in last week’s 48-hour Internet primary, making the vote larger than the New Hampshire Democratic primary and Iowa caucuses combined. Following Dean, the leading candidates were Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, with 23.9 percent of the vote, and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry with 15.7 percent. No other Democrat received more than 4 percent of the vote, and about 2 percent of voters were undecided.  

A second question on the ballot asked whether voters were united to defeat President Bush, no matter which Democratic candidate is eventually nominated to run against him. Almost 29 percent of voters said they would enthusiastically support any Democratic nominee; others named multiple candidates they’d be willing to back in the general election, indicating broad support for Democratic leaders. 

The independent polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research verified the results before their release last week.  

The primary was the first of its kind for Berkeley-born MoveOn, which was founded during Clinton’s impeachment, in 1999, by software entrepreneurs Wes Boyd and Joan Blades. Though the MoveOn PAC has supported congressional campaigns since its inception—raising $2.3 million in 2000 and $4.1 million in 2002—this primary marked its first foray into presidential politics. 

Chief Operating Officer Carrie Olson said on Monday that reaction to the results was mixed. Some members expressed relief that there would be more time to deliberate about the candidates while others suggested holding a run-off for quick closure.  

MoveOn, however, has no immediate plans to push for endorsement. “We’re going to wait a while and let that bubble up from our membership,” she said. Any other primaries would likely wait until the fall, she added. “Meanwhile, we just hope folks are paying attention.”