Re-elected to a fifth term in 2006.  Elected to Congress in 1998; represents Colorado's 6th Congressional District.  President of the Independence Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Golden, 1993-98.   Served at the U.S. Department of Education during the Reagan and Bush administrations.  State Representative, 1976-82.  Teacher at Drake Junior High School.  B.A. in political science from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, 1968.  Born December 20, 1945 in North Denver, CO.
 

Rep. Mike Pence (IN): House Office, House Republican Study Committee; Independent Site: Draft Pence Movement
"I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order."  The conservative Human Events named Rep. Mike Pence its 2005 Man of the Year in its Dec 22, 2005 issue.  The newspaper stated that, "Pence and his dedicated band of principled House members have begun to force the GOP back to the first principles of lower taxes, limited government, a strong defense, and a fierce dedication to moral authority--including preserving the rights of the unborn."  See also C-SPAN's "Q & A" Jan. 22, 2006.

Re-elected to a fourth term in 2006.  Elected to Congress in 2000; represents Indiana's 6th CD (14 counties and parts of 5 others in east-central Indiana including Muncie and the Indiana suburbs of Cincinnati, OH).  Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee for the 109th Congress (elected in Sept. 2004).  Started career in radio broadcasting in 1992; syndicated statewide by Network Indiana in 1994.  Named president of Indiana Policy Review Foundation, a conservative state think tank based in Fort Wayne, in 1991 (continued through 1994).  Ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1988 and 1990.  Attorney in private practice, 1986-90.  J.D. from Indiana University School of Law, 1986.  Graduate of Hanover College with a degree in American history, 1981.  Born in Columbus, IN.
 

Sen. Olympia Snowe (ME): Senate Office; Independent Site: OlympiaSnowe2008.com
Sen. Olympia Snowe has not expressed any noticeable interest in running for president, but that did not stop a supporter from putting up an Olympia Snowe for President website in early 2005.  The Snowe proponent argued that, "First, Senator Snowe will demolish any nominee that can be fielded by the other party, winning the 2008 election with a huge majority that would cut across the 'red/blue divide.'  Second, Senator Snowe will return the Republican party to the center of politics, where polls have repeatedly shown the majority of Americans reside."  However most observers doubt whether a moderate Republican could secure the party's presidential nomination.  Conservatives have a name for such moderate Republicans: Republicans in Name Only or "RINOs."  In a Dec. 27, 2005 ranking of the Top 10 RINOs the conservative Human Events ranked Snowe number two, noting that she "scored a 100% pro-choice voting record as scored by NARAL and consistently votes with Democrats on social issues."

Re-elected in 2006.  Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 and re-elected in 2000.  Elected to Congress in 1978.  Elected to the Maine Senate in 1976.  Elected to the Maine House, representing her home town of Auburn, in 1973 to the seat left vacant by the death of her first husband; re-elected in 1974.  Undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Maine in 1969.  Born Feb. 21, 1947, in Augusta, ME.
 

Former Gov. Frank Keating (OK): American Council of Life Insurers
The Associated Press reported in Dec. 2006 that Keating had been thinking about a possible run following Sen. George Allen's loss in the midterm elections.

President and CEO of the American Council of Life Insurers since January 2003.  Elected Governor of Oklahoma in 1994 and re-elected in 1998.  Continued in the Bush (senior) Administration as Associate Attorney General and then General Counsel and Acting Deputy Secretary of HUD.  Served in the Reagan Administration as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and later Associate Attorney General.  U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, 1981-85.  Served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1973-75 and the Oklahoma Senate from 1975-81.  FBI special agent.  B.A. in history from Georgetown University, 1966 and J.D. from the University of Oklahoma, 1969.  Born Feb. 10, 1944, in St. Louis, MO, grew up in Tulsa, OK, now resident of McLean, VA.  Author of two childrens books, biographies of Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt.
 

Not Running
(Ed. note.  Given her repeated disavowals, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should also be in this section.  However, she has such active and prominent boosters that P2008 includes her as a potential candidate).
Sen. Bill Frist, M.D. (TN): Senate Office, Volunteer PAC
Legislation: 109th, 108th, 107th, 106th, 105th, 104th; Project Vote Smart

[Ruled out a 2008 presidential run on Nov. 29, 2006]  Did not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006.  Senate Majority Leader for four years; elected on Dec. 23, 2002.  Chairman of the NRSC in the 107th Congress.  Elected to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 1994, re-elected in 2000.  Joined the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1985; founded and directed the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.  Surgical training at Massachusetts General Hospital; Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, England; and Stanford University Medical Center.  Graduate of Princeton University, 1974 and Harvard Medical School, 1978.  Born Feb. 22, 1952 in Nashville, TN.
 

Sen. George Allen (VA): Senate Office, Friends of George Allen, Good Government for America Committee, Independent Site: Students4Allen
Legislation: 109th, 108th, 107th; Project Vote Smart

Defeated in bid for a second term in Nov. 2006.  Chairman of the NRSC in the 108th Congress.  Elected to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 2000.  Partner, McGuire Woods starting in 1998.  Elected Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in Nov. 1993, served one term,1994-98, term limited.  U.S. Representative, 1991-93, elected in a special election.  Served in the Virginia House of Delegates, 1983-91.  Republican nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates, 1979.  Worked in private law practice, 1978-91.  B.A. in History (1974) and J.D. (1977) from the University of Virginia.  Born March 8, 1952 in Whittier, CA.
 

Gov. Haley Barbour (MS): Governor's Office, Barbour for Governor (2003 campaign)
Gov. Haley Barbour's hands-on response to Hurricane Katrina earned plaudits and significantly boosted his national profile.  Previously he had received a few mentions as a possible 2008 candidate, notably a May 2005 article in the New York Sun.  (Josh Gerstein.  "Presidential Chatter Encircles Governor Barbour of Mississippi."  New York Sun.  May 2, 2005).  Barbour also attracted some notice for his response to spiraling Medicaid costs.  On May 26, 2004 he signed HB 1434 into law. The law would have ended Medicaid eligibility for an estimated 65,000 seniors and people with disabilities (Poverty Level Aged and Disabled, or PLAD, recipients), but the matter went to court.  Barbour told The Associated Press on Feb. 7, 2006, “There’s no way that I can consider running for president...  I’ve been flattered by the people who have encouraged me or said they would support me.  But there’s no way I could run for president and do what I’ve got to do as governor."

Elected Governor of Mississippi on Nov. 4, 2003, defeating incumbent Gov. Ronnie Musgrove (D).  Chairman and CEO of Barbour Griffith & Rogers, a lobbying firm he cofounded in 1991, that was named the most powerful lobbying firm by Fortune magazine in 2001.  Chairman of the Republican National Committee for two terms, 1993-97.  Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs for two years under President Reagan.  Republican nominee in Mississippi for the U.S. Senate, 1982.  Executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party, 1973-76.  J.D. from University of Mississippi Law School, 1972; attended University of Mississippi as an undergraduate.  Born Oct. 22, 1947 in Yazoo City, MS.
 

Gov. Mark Sanford (SC): Governor's Office
In contrast to President George W. Bush, who did not issue a veto in his first five years in office, Gov. Mark Sanford showed no such reluctance.  In a famous May 2004 episode Sanford issued 106 vetoes totalling $36 million to help close a $155 million budget deficit.  On May 26 the House quickly overrode 105 of those vetoes; the next day Sanford appeared in front of the House chamber with two piglets nicknamed "Pork" and "Barrel" under his arms.  In May 2005 Sanford weighed in with 163 vetoes, and the House again overrode the vast majority of them.  Sanford's fiscal conservatism earned admiration of proponents of limited government to the extent that several individuals even tried to start presidential draft efforts on the Internet in 2004 and 2005.  However, Sanford's tight spending ways also generated critics; Time magazine, citing concerns that "his thrift has brought the state's economy to a standstill," named Sanford one of the nation's worst governors in its Nov. 21, 2005 issue.  Sanford definitively ruled out a 2008 campaign for president in a December 2005 interview with The State newspaper.  (Aaron Gould Sheinin.  "Sanford rules out bid for presidency in 2008." The State, Dec. 12, 2005). The State quoted Sanford: "Should I get re-elected...I absolutely am serving all four years, because we just have some huge issues here in South Carolina that are just an immense challenge."  Further he said, "Barring stroke, illness, unforeseen personal circumstance that incapacitates me, yeah, I’m here for the duration."

Re-elected in 2006.  Elected Governor in Nov. 2002, defeating inc. Gov. Jim Hodges (D) by 53% to 47%.  Elected to the U.S. House in 1994, served three terms and left voluntarily in Jan. 2001.  Worked in real estate finance and investment in New York and Charleston, SC.  M.B.A. from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, 1988.  B.A. in business from Furman University in Greenville, 1983.  Born May 28, 1960 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
 

Sen. Rick Santorum (PA):Senate Office, Santorum 2006, America's Foundation; Independent Site: Stop Santorum Now (Stonewall Democrats)
Legislation: 109th, 108th, 107th, 106th, 105th, 104th; Project Vote Smart
PAC finances (1), Santorum 2006 finances, Open Secrets
Sen. Rick Santorum, a leading social conservative, was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in early 2005.  However the prospect of a tightly fought re-election campaign in 2006 soon squelched such talk.  On March 5, 2005 State Treasurer Robert P. Casey, a pro-life Democrat, announced he would run against Santorum.  Casey has the support of the DSCC and is seen as the likely Democratic nominee; observers believe he will pose a strong challenge.  Santorum outlined his views in a book, IT TAKES A FAMILY: Conservatism And The Common Good (ISI Books, July 30, 2005).  On July 25, 2005, in response to a question during an online discussion of the book on WashingtonPost.com, Sen. Santorum stated, "I have six children ages 4-14.  And the idea of coming off a race of the intensity that I am engaged in at this point and turning around and running another two year campaign for president is not something that I believe is in the best interest of my family, which I say in the book, and I believe in my heart it's my principal responsibility.  I can't speak for other politicians but I can speak for me, and my intention is not to run in 2008."  Although Santorum appeared to back away a bit from this stance a bit soon thereafter, his statement was clear enough.

Defeated in 2006 re-election bid.  Elected to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 1994, re-elected in 2000.  Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the third-ranking leadership position in the Senate.  Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th CD in 1990 at age 32; re-elected in 1992.  B.A. in Political Science from Penn State, 1980; M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, 1981; J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Penn. 1986.  Born May 10, 1958 in Winchester, VA.
 

Vice President Dick Cheney (WY): Vice President's Office
Vice President Dick Cheney ruled out any possibility of a presidential bid in Feb. 6, 2005 appearance on "Fox News Sunday."  "I've made a decision a long time ago that I thought about running for president back in 1994-95 time frame and decided then I didn't want to do it.  I didn't want to do those things I'd have to."  Further, Cheney went on to make the Shermanesque statement, "If nominated, I will not run; if elected I will not serve.  Or not only no, but hell no.  I've got my plans laid out.  I'm going to serve this president for the next four years, and then I'm out of here."  Curiously Cheney's disavowal did not stop Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward from expressing his belief, in an Aug. 9 2005 talk at the Aspen Institute, that if President Bush asked him it would be highly likely that Cheney would run.

Selected by then-Gov. George W. Bush as his running mate on July 25, 2000.  Chairman and CEO of Halliburton, 1995-2000.  Secretary of Defense, 1989-93.  Elected to Congress in 1978 and re-elected five times.  Served in the Ford Administration as Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff starting in Nov. 1975; earlier worked on the transition team and as Deputy Assistant to the President.  Joined the Nixon Administration in 1969.  Fellow in the office of Rep. William Steiger.  Attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed coursework for a doctorate.  Bachelor's (1965)and Master's of Arts (1966) degrees from the University of Wyoming.  Attended Yale University for several semesters.  Born in Lincoln, NE on Jan. 30, 1941.
 

Gov. Bill Owens (CO): Governor's Office, Center for a New American Century
Gov. Bill Owens received the top grade on the Cato Institute's 2004 "Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors" [March 1, 2005] which measures the governors' cuts in taxes and spending.  In a Sept. 2, 2002 cover story National Review magazine named Owens the "Best Governor in America."  However, Owens' announcement in August 2003 that he was separating from his wife of 28 years and Colorado Republicans' loss of control of both the State House and State Senate in November 2004 seem to have squelched his prospects for a presidential campaign.  (In May 2005 he and his wife announced they were getting back together).

Term limited; term expires Jan. 2007.  Elected Governor in Nov. 1998; re-elected in 2002.  Formed a think tank, the Center for a New American Century, after being re-elected in 2002.  Elected Colorado Treasurer in 1994.  Elected to the State House in 1982, served through 1988; elected to the State Senate.  Worked for 20 years in the private sector as director of a trade association ("oil and gas lobbyist") starting in 1980, with the Gates Corporation in Denver starting in 1977; and with the consulting staff of Deloitte and Touche in Washington, DC.  Master's degree in public administration from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, 1975.  B.S. from Stephen F. Austin State University, 1973.   Born Oct. 22, 1950 in Ft. Worth, TX.
 

Gov. Jeb Bush (FL): Governor's Office
It is said that thousands of last minute scare calls to seniors cost Jeb Bush the governor's race in 1994 and that if he had won that campaign he and not George W. would be the 42nd President of the United States.  However, there appears to be no prospect of the Bush dynasty continuing in 2008 at least, as Gov. Jeb Bush clearly ruled out a 2008 presidential run in an Oct. 17, 2004 appearance on ABC's "This Week" stating, "I'm not going to run for president in 2008.  That's not my interest."

Term limited; term expires Jan. 2007.  Elected Governor in Nov. 1998, defeating Lt. Gov. Buddy McKay; re-elected in 2002 defeating attorney Bill McBride.  Founder and chairman of the Foundation for Florida's Future, 1995-97.  Republican nominee for Governor in 1994, losing to Lawton Chiles by 51% to 49%.  Worked on his father's 1988 campaign.  Florida Secretary of Commerce, 1987-88.  Chairman of the Dade County Republican Party.  Arrived in Miami in 1980, and went into real estate development with Armando Codina (Codina Bush Group); finally sold his stake in 1993.  Helped on his father George W. Bush's campaign, 1979-80.  Joined Texas Commerce Bank in 1974; opened a branch in Venezuala in 1977.  B.A. in Latin American Studies from University of Texas, 1974.  Born Feb. 11, 1953 in Midland, TX.
 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA): Governor's Office, Schwarzenegger.com, Amend for Arnold
Following his election in the October 2003 special election and on into 2004 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had mega-star status.  However it would take a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for him to be eligible to run for president (Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 requires that the president be a natural born citizen).  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced an "Equal Opportunity to Govern Amendment" in mid-2003, but that had not gone anywhere.  In August 2004 three people who had volunteered on Schwarzenegger's campaign -- Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones, Dave Jones and Mimi Chen -- formed Amend for Arnold (AmendUs.org).  Asked if he would be interested in the presidency if the Constitution were changed to allow him to run, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told CBS' "60 Minutes" on Nov. 1, 2004, "Yes. Absolutely."  He added, "I think, you know, because, why not?  Like with my way of thinking, you always shoot for the top."  However Schwarzenegger's popularity dropped significantly, and a year later, on Nov. 8, 2005, he received a humbling setback when California voters rejected all four ballot initiatives he had championed.

Re-elected in 2006 (announced Sept. 16, 2005).  Elected Governor in October 2003 special election.  Promoted "After School Education and Safety Act of 2002" (Proposition 49) in 2002.  B.A. from University of Wisconsin-Superior, 1979.  Actor; has appeared in over 40 movies starting with "Hercules in New York" (1970).  Body builder; won Mr. Olympia title seven times, 1970-75 and 1980.  Served mandatory year in the Austrian Army, 1965.  Born July 30, 1947 in Thal, Styria, Austria.
 
 

www.amendforarnold.com  Formed August 2004.  (Feb. 24, 2005 grab)	http://draftsanford.cjb.net/ Launched by Sean Wisnieski in July 2004.  (Jan. 2006 grab)	draftmarksanfordforpresident in2008.blogspot.com Launched by Bill Westmiller in Jan. 2005; suspended in Dec. 2005.  (Nov. 2005 grab)	sanfordblog.blogspot.com  Launched by Chris Lilik, editor of Grassroots PA, on Oct. 7, 2005; ended on Jan. 2, 2006.  (Nov. 2005 grab)

 

Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action