CHARLESTON - S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin said Friday he doesn't agree with Howard Dean's comment about the makeup of the Republican Party but said it won't hurt Democrats to have Dean visit the state this month.

Dean recently described the GOP as "pretty much a white, Christian party" and said many Republicans "never made an honest living."

"I did tell him in a note that the comment about white Christians and Republicans concerned me," Erwin said.

"I'm trying to recruit white Christians for the Democrat Party, and we are recruiting - white Christians and African-American Christians and people of all faiths and races," he said. "We don't need to ostracize anybody."

Dean will attend a party fund-raiser June 29 in Columbia.

"I don't think it hurts because the people who will turn out are activist Democrats who are fans of Howard Dean," Erwin said.

He expects Republicans to counter with news releases "trying to lump Howard Dean in with liberalism" and said he might even call Republicans to thank them for such promotional help "because that's going to get more people to our fund-raiser."

In fact, state Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson has been sending out comments about Dean daily since finding out he plans to visit Columbia.

"The Democrats just don't get it. Their failures at the ballot box are not because of Republican public policy but rather their unwillingness to propose any solutions to solve America's challenges," Dawson's news release said Friday.

However, Erwin said Dean's appearance should not harm party recruitment efforts.

"I don't think it's hurtful," Erwin said.

"We are South Carolina Democrats confident of our value system. We're in a more conservative state. Howard Dean knows that, you know that, and I know that."

He said the same applies to Republicans.

"If they bring in Jerry Falwell, does it hurt their party, that they bring in someone from the religious right? I doubt it," he said.

Erwin held Friday's news conference to criticize what he said was a lack of leadership by GOP Gov. Mark Sanford during the recent legislative session.