WATERVILLE $ Knock on neighbors' doors, urge them to register to vote, and tell them to vote early.

That was the message Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, pitched to about 60 people outside City Hall Friday morning.

"If we can do this in all the important towns in Maine and all the towns in Maine, we're going to win this election," Dean said.

Dean was visiting Waterville for the second time. The first was in 2004 when he was a presidential candidate.

He greeted politicians, including state Rep. Marilyn Canavan, D-Waterville, who will give up her seat in the November election; City Councilor Henry Beck, who is seeking that spot; and Rep. Pamela J. Trinward, D-Waterville.

Dean asked registered voters to encourage young people to register. He also urged them to elect Democrats and support Barack Obama for president.

While television ads help convince people to vote Democratic, there is nothing better than talking with them first-hand, Dean said.

"It's cost-effective and it's personal," he said.

Electing John McCain would represent four more years of George W. Bush, with tax cuts for the rich, a continued war in Iraq and inadequate health care for Americans, he said.

Obama would bring troops home in 16 months, concentrate on better health care and restore the country's reputation in the rest of the world, he said.

"That's where George Bush has failed us," he said.

Republican National Committee regional press secretary, Blair Latoff, issued a statement Friday in response to Dean's comments about McCain and Republicans in general.

"Howard Dean's partisan tirades fit like a glove in Barack Obama's stable of shameless surrogates," Latoff's statement says. "Perhaps if they focused on keeping their candidate consistent on the issues, they wouldn't have to constantly mislead voters about John McCain's distinguished service."