Sen.
Barack Obama (IL)
[**Filed
with the FEC to establish a presidential exploratory committee on Jan.
16, 2007; formally announced candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007] Elected
to the U.S. Senate in November 2004. Elected to the Illinois
Senate
in 1996 and re-elected in 1998 and 2002 (served 1997-2004). Civil
rights attorney at Miner, Barnhill & Galland and senior lecturer at
the University of Chicago Law School specializing in constitutional
law.
Executive director of Illinois Project Vote, April-Nov. 1992.
J.D.
from Harvard Law School, 1991. Moved to Chicago in June 1985 and
worked three years as director of the Developing Communities Project, a
group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods.
One year as a writer and financial analyst at Business International
Corporation.
Graduated from Columbia University in 1983. Born August 4, 1961
in
Honolulu, HI.
Former Candidates
Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)
[**Announced formation of a
presidential
exploratory committee on Jan. 20, 2007; filed with the FEC to change to
campaign committee on Sept. 1, 2007; announced withdrawal on June
7, 2008] Elected to the U.S.
Senate
in Nov. 2000; re-elected in 2006 with about 67% of the vote.
First
Lady of the United States from Jan. 1993 to Jan. 2001. First Lady
of Arkansas. Joined the Rose Law Firm in 1976. Worked for
the
Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives during the
Watergate
scandal. Graduate of Yale Law School, 1973 and Wellesley College,
1969. Born Oct. 26, 1947 in Chicago, IL.
Former
Sen. John Edwards (NC)
[**Announced
candidacy on Dec. 28, 2006; announced
withdrawal on Jan. 30, 2008] Director of the Center on Poverty,
Work and Opportunity at UNC School of Law, Feb. 2005-Dec. 28, 2006.
Democratic
nominee for Vice President in 2004. Candidate for the 2004
Democratic
presidential nomination. Elected to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 1998;
retired in 2004. Successful trial lawyer. J.D. from
University
of North Carolina School of Law (Chapel Hill), 1977 and undergraduate
degree
from North Carolina State University, 1974. Born June 10, 1953 in
Seneca, SC.
Rep.
Dennis Kucinich (OH)
[**Announced
candidacy on Dec. 12, 2006; announced withdrawal on Jan. 25,
2008]
Candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination; ended
campaign
on July 22, 2004. Re-elected to a sixth term in Congress in 2006;
first elected to Congress in 1996, defeating incumbent Rep. Martin Hoke
(R) by 49% to 46%. Elected to the Ohio Senate in 1994, defeating
incumbent Sen. Anthony Sinagra (R). During the 1980s between
campaigns
Kucinich did a variety of jobs in five different states; for example in
1987 he started a communications consulting firm. Ran for
Congress
in 1992. Ran for Congress in 1988, losing to incumbent Rep. Mary
Rose Oakar (D) in the Dem. primary. Made an independent bid for
Governor
in 1985-86 (withdrew in Aug. 2006). Elected to the Cleveland City
Council, 1983. Ran for Secretary of State in 1982, finishing
second
to Sherrod Brown in the Dem. primary. Elected mayor of Cleveland
in 1977 at age 31; survived 1978 recall but defeated in 1979
re-election
bid by George Voinovich. Elected municipal court clerk. Ran
for the open Minshall seat again in 1974; lost Democratic primary and
ran
in the general election as an independent. Democratic nominee for
Congress in 1972, losing to incumbent Rep. William E. Minshall Jr
(R).
Elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1969 at age 23, served
1970-75.
Unsuccessful run for Cleveland City Council in 1967 at age 21.
Copy
boy at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Bachelor's and
Master's
degrees in speech and communication from Case Western Reserve
University.
Born October 8, 1946 in Cleveland, OH.
Gov.
Bill Richardson (NM)
[**Announced
formation of a presidential exploratory committee on Jan. 21, 2007;
formally
announced candidacy on May 21, 2007; announced
withdrawal on Jan. 10, 2008] Elected Governor in Nov. 2002;
re-elected
in 2006 with about 69% of the vote. Chairman of the Democratic
Governors'
Association, 2005 and 2006. Chairman of the 2004 Democratic
National
Convention. Joined the consulting firm Kissinger, McLarty &
Richardson.
U.S. Secretary of Energy, 1998-Jan. 2001. U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations, 1997. Represented the 3rd CD in New Mexico for 15
years, 1983-97. M.A. from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,
1971
and B.A. from Tufts University, 1970. Grew up in Mexico
City.
Born Nov. 15, 1947 in Pasadena, CA.
Sen.
Christopher Dodd (CT)
[**Announced
candidacy on Jan. 11, 2007; announced
withdrawal on Jan. 3, 2008] Elected to the U.S. Senate in
1980
and re-elected in 1986, 1992, 1998, and 2004. Considered a run
for
the Democratic nomination in 2004, but ruled
it out on March 3, 2003. General chairman of the Democratic
National
Committee, 1995-97. In December 1994 lost bid to become Senate
Minority
Leader to Tom Daschle by one vote. Elected to Congress in 1974,
and
served three terms in the House of Representatives representing
Connecticut's
Second District. Practiced law in New London. Law degree
from
the University of Louisville (KY) School of Law, 1972. Enlisted
in
the Army and served in the reserves, 1969-75. Two years
volunteering
for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Graduate of
Providence
College, 1966. Born May 27, 1944, in Willimantic, CT.
Sen.
Joe Biden (DE)
[**Announced candidacy and filed
with
the FEC to establish a presidential campaign committee on Jan. 31,
2007;
announced
withdrawal on Jan. 3, 2008] Elected to the U.S. Senate in
Nov.
1972 at age 29, re-elected in 1978, '84, '90, '96 and 2002.
Ranking
member on the Foreign Relations Committee. Considered but ruled
out a bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
Sought
the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, announcing candidacy on
June
9, 1987 but withdrawing three months later amid plagarism
charges.
Served on the New Castle County Council, 1970-72. Practiced law
in
Wilmington, Delaware. Graduate of Syracuse University College of
Law, 1968 and of the University of Delaware, 1965. Born
Nov.
20, 1942 in Scranton, PA.
Former
Gov. Tom Vilsack (IA)
[**Filed with the FEC to establish
a presidential campaign committee on Nov. 9, 2006; formally announced
candidacy on Nov. 30, 2006; announced
withdrawal on Feb. 23, 2007] Elected Governor of Iowa in Nov.
1998 and re-elected in 2002; did not seek re-election in 2006, term
ended
in Jan. 12, 2007. (Vilsack was in 2006 the longest serving
Democratic
Governor). Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, July
15,
2005-Jan. 11, 2007. Chairman of the Democratic Governors'
Association,
2004. Elected to the Iowa State Senate, 1992, and served through
1998. Elected Mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, 1987, and served
through
1992. Partner in the Bell and Vilsack Law Office,
1975-1998.
Law degree from Albany Law School, 1975 and bachelor's degree from
Hamilton
College in Clinton, New York, 1972. Born Dec. 13, 1950 in
Pittsburgh,
PA.
Long Shot
Former Sen. Mike Gravel (VA): Mike
Gravel for President 2008, National
Initiative
for Democracy
[**Announced
candidacy on April 17, 2006; on March 11, 2008 announced
support for Green Party candidate
Jesse
Johnson, and on March 26, 2008 announced
he is joining the Libertarian Party] President
and founder (in the early 1990s) of Philadelphia II and Direct
Democracy,
nonprofit corporations dedicated to the establishment of direct
democracy.
Elected to the U.S. Senate from Alaska in 1968 after defeating
incumbent
Sen. Ernest Gruening in the Democratic primary; re-elected in 1974;
lost
the Democratic primary in 1980 (served from Jan. 3, 1969 to Jan. 2,
1981).
Seconded own nomination for Vice President of the United States at the
Democratic National Convention in 1972. Author of Citizen
Power:
A People’s Platform (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972).
Ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House in 1966. Member of the Alaska
House
of Representatives 1962-66; elected Speaker in 1965. Ran twice
unsuccessfully
for Alaska House of Representatives; elected on third attempt.
Worked
in real estate development in Anchorage and Kenai. B.S. in
Economics
from Columbia University 1956. Member of the United States Army,
Counter Intelligence Corps, 1951-54. Born May 13, 1930 in
Springfield,
MA.
Not In
Former
Vice President Al Gore (TN): Current,
Generation,
"An
Inconvenient Truth;" Independent
Sites ... P2004
page
Chairman of Current (formerly
INdTV),
a
new independent cable and satellite TV network.
Chairman of Generation, a London-based investment management company he
launched with former Goldman Sachs chief executive David Blood in late
2004. Democratic nominee for President in 2000, winning
50,992,335
votes (48.38 percent) but losing the Electoral College vote by 271 to
267
after a protracted post-election tussel in Florida. 45th Vice
President
of the United States, served two terms; Jan. 20, 1993-Jan. 20,
2001.
Elected to the U.S. Senate from Tennessee in 1984, re-elected in
1990.
Elected to the U.S. House, representing the 4th district of Tennessee,
in 1976; served four terms, 1977-85. Investigative reporter for
the
Tennessean. U.S. Army, 1969-71; enlisted and served as a military
journalist in the 20th Engineers Brigade in Vietnam. Harvard
University,
B.A., 1969. Born March 31, 1948 in Washington, DC.
Gen.
Wesley Clark:
WesPAC-Securing
America's Future; Independent
Sites ... P2004
page
PAC
finances (1)
[Endorsed
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sept. 15, 2007] Sought the 2004
Democratic
presidential nomination, announcing his candidacy on September 17, 2003
and dropping out of the race on February 11, 2004. Chairman and
CEO
of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and
consulting
firm. Managing director for the Stephens Group, Inc.,
2000-03.
Served 34 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of 4-star general
and NATO Supreme Allied Commander. Served in Vietnam as an
infantry
officer and company commander and was wounded in action. A Rhodes
Scholar, Clark earned a Master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and
Economics
from Oxford University. Graduated first in his class from the
United
States Military Academy at West Point, 1966. Born in Dec. 1944 in
Chicago, IL.
Sen.
John F. Kerry (MA): Senate
Office, John Kerry.com (Friends
of John Kerry, Inc.), Keeping
America's Promise PAC; Independent
Sites ... P2004
page
Legislation:
109th,
108th,
107th,
106th,
105th,
104th...;
Project
Vote Smart
[Ruled
out a 2008 presidential run on Jan. 24, 2007] Up for
re-election
in 2008. Democratic nominee for President in 2004, obtaining more
than 59 million votes (251 plus 1
Electoral
Votes to 286 for Bush). Elected to the
U.S. Senate in Nov. 1984, re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002.
Elected
Lieutenant Governor, 1982. Private practice. Prosecutor,
Middlesex
County, 1976-79. Graduate of Boston College Law School, 1976. Democratic
nominee for U.S. House in 1972. U.S.
Navy, 1966-70; served in Vietnam and awarded three Purple Hearts.
B.A. from Yale University, 1966. Born Dec. 11, 1943 at Fitzsimons
Army Hospital in Aurora, CO.
Sen.
Evan Bayh (IN): Senate
Office, All America PAC;
Independent
Sites
Legislation:
109th,
108th,
107th,
106th;
Project
Vote Smart
[Filed with the FEC to establish
a
presidential exploratory committee on Dec. 5, 2006, but less than two
weeks
later on Dec. 16 announced
that he would not be a candidate in 2008] Elected to the U.S.
Senate
in Nov. 1998, re-elected in 2004. Chairman of the Democratic
Leadership
Council, announced Feb. 2001, stepped down in July 2005. Elected
Governor in 1988, re-elected in 1992. Elected Secretary of State
in 1986. Private practice in Indianapolis. Graduate of the
University of Virginia, law degree, 1981 and of Indiana University with
a degree in business economics, 1978. Born Dec. 26, 1955 in
Shirkieville,
IN.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle (SD): New Leadership for America, Alston & Bird, LLP ... P2004 page
[On Dec. 2, 2006
Daschle
told KELOLAND News in Sioux Falls, SD that he would not run for
president
in 2008] Special policy advisor at Alston & Bird, LLP.
Minority leader in the U.S. Senate from Jan. 1995-June 6, 2001 and
2003-05;
majority leader from June 6, 2001-Jan. 3, 2003). Elected to the
U.S.
Senate in 1986, served three terms until defeated in 2004.
Elected
to the U.S. House in 1978, served four terms, Jan. 1979-Jan.
1987.
Aide to Sen. James Abourezk (D-SD). Served in the United States
Air
Force 1969-72. Graduated from South Dakota State University,
1969.
Born Dec. 9, 1947 in Aberdeen, SD. Author with Michael D’Orso of
Like
No Other Time: The 107th Congress and the Two Years that Changed
America
Forever (New York: Crown Publishers, 2003).
Sen.
Russ Feingold (WI): Senate
Office, 2004 Senate Campaign,
Progressive
Patriots Fund; Independent
Sites ...
P2004
page
Legislation: 109th,
Project
Vote Smart
[Ruled
out a 2008 presidential run on Nov. 12, 2006] Elected
to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 1992, re-elected in 1998 and 2004.
Elected
to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1982, re-elected in 1986 and
1990.
Attorney at Foley & Lardner and La Follette & Sinykin in
Madison,
WI, 1979-85. J.D. Harvard University Law School, 1979; Rhodes
Scholar,
1977; B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975. Born March 2,
1953
in Janesville, WI.
Former Gov. Mark Warner (VA): Forward Together PAC; Independent Sites
[Ruled
out a 2008 presidential run on Oct. 12, 2006] Elected
Governor
of Virginia in Nov. 2001; term limited, term expired Jan. 14, 2006. Honorary
Chairman of Forward Together, a federal PAC formed in July 2005. Chairman
of the National Governors' Association, 2004-05. Democratic
nominee
for U.S. Senate, 1996. Founding partner of Columbia Capital
Corporation.
Chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, 1993-95. Managed
Doug
Wilder's campaign for governor in 1989. Cell phone entrepreneur;
in 1987 co-founded Fleet Call, Inc (which later became Nextel).
Graduate
of Harvard Law School, 1980 and the George Washington University,
1977.
Born Dec. 15, 1954 in Indianapolis, IN.
Also Mentioned
Rev. Al Sharpton (NY): National
Action Network ... P2004
page
President and founder
(in
1991) of the National Action Network. Candidate for the 2004
Democratic
presidential nomination. Candidate in the Sept. 9, 1997 New York
City Democratic mayoral primary; finished second. Candidate
in the Sept. 13, 1994 Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Candidate
in
the Sept. 15, 1992 Democratic U.S. Senate primary; finished
third.
Ran for New York State Senate in 1978. Touring manager for
soul singer James Brown. Founded the National Youth
Movement
in 1971. Named youth director for Operation Breadbasket by Jesse
Jackson in 1969. Licensed and ordained by Bishop F.D.
Washington
in 1964 (at age ten) and appointed Junior Pastor of the Washington
Temple
congregation. Two years at Brooklyn College (left in 1975).
Born 1954 in Brooklyn, NY.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer (MT):
Governor's
Office, Independent Site:
Schweitzer
for President blog
>In a July 20, 2005
article
(Montana Gov. Talked Up As 2008 Contender) The Associated Press' Bob
Anez
quoted Schweitzer describing people putting forth his name as a
presidential
prospect as "kooky." Kevin McCarthy of the Schweitzer for
President
blog wrote in response to this article that "we feel any press on Brian
Schweitzer at this point in time can only help."
>Schweitzer was
featured
in a cover article ("The Progressive Frontier" by Matt Singer) in the
July
12, 2005 issue of the progressive magazine In These Times.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (AR):
Senate
Office, Independent Site: Committee
to Draft Blanche Lincoln For President
Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA): Senate Office, Independent Site: Barbara Boxer 2008
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