When Howard Dean walked into Cresco High School in Howard County Wednesday, he reached a milestone in his energetic campaign by stopping in all of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Dean supporters dubbed Wednesday’s event “Howard in Howard,” as the candidate visited the county located in the northeast corner of the state, about 10 miles south of the Minnesota border. He traveled via bus that included himself and several supporters.

Among the traveling companions were enthusiastic ISU students who joined Dean on the 150 mile trip that included six stops and hundreds of supporters along the way.

“The trip was almost like a family affair,” said David Stone, junior in political science and Story County intern for Dean for America. “We spent hours talking to [Dean],” he said. “He is authentic — the way he presents himself in speeches isn’t fake — that is what he’s like as a real person.”

Stone said Dean’s commitment to visiting every county in Iowa is notable, considering the recent decisions by Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. and Gen. Wesley Clark to skip campaigning in Iowa altogether. This campaign milestone will only increase Dean’s popularity in Iowa, he said.

“The support for Dean has been tremendous and it seems to escalate every day,” he said.

The student representation on the bus was a small example of the appeal Dean’s campaign has had to young voters, said Sarah Leonard, Dean’s Iowa spokeswoman.

“Students are so important to our campaign,” Leonard said. “They provide a key voice to the campaign and we hope to bring students into everything we do.”

Dean was the first candidate to visit all the counties since Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., in 1988. Gephardt won Iowa’s caucuses, the high point of the congressman’s unsuccessful bid for president.

Leonard said his campaign has set the standard for organization in the Iowa Caucuses by meeting several milestones before any other candidate.

“We have a Dean staff person for every county,” she said. “The Dean campaign has set the standard for organization in Iowa. In May, we were the first to hold meetings in all 99 counties.”

Leonard said Dean’s diligence was a sign his campaign was committed to growing his organization to reaching out to all Iowans.

“Dean understands Iowa because he comes from Vermont, which is one of the most rural states in the nation,” she said. “Campaigning in Iowa is very similar to campaigning in Vermont — it’s very rural and its full of real people with honest concerns.”