Blast from the past and MSNBC facial tic Howard Dean has dropped out of the race for chair of the DNC, reports The Hill.a

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean dropped out of the race to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday.

Dean, who served as DNC chairman from 2005 to 2009, announced in a pre-recorded video to a conference of state Democratic chairs that he would step aside to allow for a new face to lead the party as it seeks to rebuild.

That reduces the field of candidates to three.

The Hill has more on the others running here, but by now we are all familiar with the front-runner, Rep. Keith Ellison.

But Dean is not necessarily clearing the way for the controversial Ellison.

During an interview on MSNBC minutes after his video announcement, Dean reiterated that he does not support Ellison’s bid unless he was willing to give up his seat, noting that while Ellison has support from many high-profile Democrats, none of those politicians are DNC members who can vote in the chair’s race.

Whoever it is, after the absolutely humiliating and devastating total defeat of dems at all levels in 2016, they’ve got a lot of work ahead.