WASHINGTON – Senator Biden of Delaware and a former senator, John Edwards of North Carolina, distanced themselves over the weekend from remarks by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who is facing criticism for the pace of the party’s fund raising.

Mr. Dean, who inspired a passionate following when he ran for president in 2003-04 and showed the potential of Internet fund-raising, has been as unpredictable with his public remarks since becoming party chairman in mid-February as his Republican counterpart, Ken Mehlman, has been on message.

Mr. Biden made his comment on ABC’s “This Week” after the host, George Stephanopoulos, played a clip of Dean saying Thursday that perhaps Republicans can wait in line to cast ballots because a “lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives.”

Asked whether Mr. Dean is doing the party any good, Mr. Biden said, “Not with that kind of rhetoric. He doesn’t speak for me with that kind of rhetoric. And I don’t think he speaks for the majority of Democrats. … I wish that rhetoric would change.”

Mr. Edwards, the party’s vice presidential nominee last year, said at an annual party fund-raising dinner Saturday in Nashville that he disagreed with Dean’s comment.

Mr. Mehlman, appearing on his first Sunday talk show since becoming Republican National Committee chairman in January, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “I’m not sure the best way to win support in the red states is to insult the folks who live there. I think that a better approach might be to talk about the issues you’re for.”

Mr. Dean said a day later he was referring to the Republican leadership.