Electability was a major concern for many in the 2004 primary

[Drunken Irishman]

88. Yes. Dean's campaign never grew into front-runner status...

They ran a guerrilla, upstart campaign that didn't transition into the role of front-runner. It was disorganized and chaotic all around, which led to, as you say, Dean volunteers hitting up the same place multiple times, which turned off a lot of voters.

Joe Trippi did a phenomenal job building a grassroots campaign but they really needed to make an adjustment in late 2003 and bring in someone with more seasoned, and professional experience. After the Iowa and New Hampshire losses, Trippi resigned and was replaced with Roy Neel, who was really close with Gore and Clinton. While a move like that would have initially been seen with skeptical eyes, since it was someone so closely tied with the party insiders Dean opposed, it would've helped organize the campaign heading into the crucial months. Instead, Tippi got 'em there but couldn't deliver.

In many ways, Dean's campaign was a near mirror-image of Eugene McCarthy's from 1968.