Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, a managing director at the investment bank Allen & Co., endorsed Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying Dean taps a ``wonderful idealism'' in Americans.

Bradley, a Democrat from New Jersey who sits on the boards of Starbucks Corp. and Eastman Kodak Co., said Dean is the best of the nine Democrats vying to challenge President George W. Bush in November for control of the White House.

``My answer is Howard Dean,'' Bradley told about 300 Dean supporters in Manchester, N.H. ``He has tapped into the same wonderful idealism that I saw in the eyes of Americans in 2000 and he has transformed it into a powerful force.''

A presidential candidate in the 2000 campaign and a three- term senator, Bradley may give Dean a boost on Wall Street, where he has worked since leaving the Senate in 1996. Before joining entertainment and media specialist Allen & Co., Bradley was a vice chairman of the International Council of J.P. Morgan & Co.

The former Vermont governor and Bradley will fly together from Manchester to Des Moines, Iowa, this morning where Bradley will appear at a second endorsement event organized by Dean's presidential campaign. Later, Dean will participate in a radio debate with rivals for the Democratic nomination.

2000 Campaign

Bradley, 60, who was an all-star player for the New York Knicks basketball team from 1967 to 1977 and a Rhodes Scholar, was unsuccessful in a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination against former Vice President Al Gore in 2000. Gore endorsed Dean's candidacy on Dec. 9.

While Bradley trailed Gore in national opinion polls, he almost defeated Gore in New Hampshire, taking 45.6 percent of the votes cast. Gore won with 50.4 percent.

``The Dean campaign is one of the best things that has happened to American democracy in decades,'' said Bradley today. Dean chose the ``right course'' by opposing Bush's war in Iraq and ``insisting that we involve our longtime allies who would be there helping us today'' if Bush hadn't ``chosen a preemptive unilateral policy leaving more than 100,000 servicemen and women indefinitely in harm's way.''

Voting for the Democratic presidential nomination begins in 13 days in Iowa on Jan. 19 and in three weeks in New Hampshire on Jan. 27. A series of primary elections in seven states including South Carolina and Arizona follows on Feb. 3.

Dean hired Bradley's 2000 campaign manager, Gina Glantz, as a senior adviser in November.

Dean said he was pleased to have Bradley's backing because ``it's the endorsement of a thoughtful, careful person who sought to lead this country with honor and integrity, and who stood up against the same forces in Washington that we have stood up against,'' referring to corporate special interests and Republicans.

Dean's backers include party leaders and labor unions, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represent 3 million U.S. workers.

Dean's Lead

That support has helped propel Dean into a lead over the eight other Democratic candidates in raising money and in polls of voters. A survey for Time magazine and Cable News Network showed that in direct match-ups Dean was the top choice of registered Democrats. His closest competitor is retired General Wesley Clark, who gets support from 32 percent, compared with 46 percent for Dean.

Dean has topped the other candidates in contributions, raising $15 million in the last three months of 2003 for a total of about $40 million for the year, according to figures released by the campaign. Clark, who joined the race in September, expected to raise about $11 million during the last quarter. Disclosure reports are due to the Federal Election Commission at the end of January.

Dean ``is an idealist who is willing to be tough,'' and can ``beat someone as radical as George Bush'' by being ``blunt and relentless,'' Bradley said. ``Howard Dean is the candidate best able to return the fire in ways the other side doesn't expect.''

As Dean has moved into the lead nationally, other Democrats running for president increasingly are challenging the former Vermont governor on taxes, trade and national security and are trying to defeat Dean in specific states.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Missouri Representative Richard Gephardt and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, seeking to overcome Dean's lead in polls and keep their own candidacies alive, criticized Dean's record in a debate in Iowa on Sunday.

Last Updated: January 6, 2004 10:43 EST