Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., who also unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination last year, said: "He wasn't my first choice. I felt we needed a bridge-builder at this point. But I will respect whatever decision the DNC makes. And if it's Howard, I'll go along."

Lieberman and other moderates voiced concern that Dean's reputation for stirring controversy with his sharp rhetoric could set back the party as it studies what went wrong in the 2004 election cycle, in which President Bush won re-election and Republicans increased the size of their majorities in the House and Senate. Dean, however, has worked to assure Democratic leaders that he had matured and would not speak against the party's interests.

"I would be less controversial if I didn't make absolute statements," Dean said in an interview during the height of his presidential campaign. "I would also be less appealing."

While prominent Democrats made several attempts to draw others into the race to compete against Dean, U.S. senators and party officials said they were growing comfortable with the idea of Dean at the helm of the national party.

"Ninety-nine percent of the American people couldn't name the chairman of either political party," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "I hope that if Gov. Dean is our chairman, he understands it's important to serve all the wings of the party."

While Democratic leaders in the Senate and House worried whether Dean would present a unified message on Social Security reform and other issues facing Congress, other Democrats downplayed the concern over Dean and his well-known penchant for speaking his mind.

"How can you be off-message with 45 different messages?" said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "We all have a different message. He'll be great."