Howard Dean will step down as chairman of the Democratic National Committee at the end of his term in January, the Huffington Post reports. Although the success of Dean’s “50-state strategy” fueled speculation that he would stay on, the post is likely to go to an Obama insider like Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, co-chair of the president-elect’s campaign.
“My sense is that the Obama folks are pretty insular and don't want somebody else building the party,” a Dean aide says. Nonetheless, Dean’s tenure has left its mark on the DNC. Although many, including new chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, opposed the 50-state strategy, its success in the 2008 elections will likely make it the new foundation of Democratic election planning. (More Howard Dean stories.)