Howard Dean started his tenure as DNC Chairman by vowing to reach out to evangelicals. However, as Tony Carnes notes in concluding his coverage of the issue, Dean may be in for a hard time.
In the gathering of Hispanic Democratic leaders, Gloria Nieto, vice
chair of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Caucus, broke down
in sobs as she lamented her feeling of rejection as a woman who had
illegally married a woman in Boston. Responding to her wondering if the
Democratic Party would still be a welcoming home for lesbians, Dean
leaped off the stage into the audience to hug her. With a sob of his
own catching his voice, he brought the audience to a standing ovation
with his declaration, "That’s why I am a Democrat." Many evangelicals
may well respond, "That’s why we are not Democrats."