2008 Democratic Party presidential candidates

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Laxwarrior12 (talk | contribs) at 02:50, 21 October 2007 (→‎Unannounced potential candidates). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Future election in the United States

Candidates with national campaigns

These have filed (or announced plans to file) with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Template:2008 Democratic presidential candidates



Other candidates

The following people have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC):

The following people have announced their candidacy, but may not have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC):


Unannounced potential candidates

Potential Notable Candidates Without Exploratory Committees

Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States 		Al Gore, born March 31, 1948, in Washington, D. C., is the former U.S. Vice President, and was the 2000 Democratic nominee, winning the popular vote. Gore and his family have commented upon whether or not Gore would participate as a candidate in the 2008 presidential election. Gore was quoted in December 2006 as stating on NBC's "Today,": "I am not planning to run for president again [...] I haven't completely ruled it out."[9] His son, Albert Gore III, followed with a comment in the 14 December 2006 article "Albert Gore: Dad's Doing Well, Not Running in 2008":"I know that [my father] has no plans to run in 2008[...] Well, I guess I have to add his addendum. I think the way he always says it is, 'I don't see any circumstances under which I would run for president."[10]

Despite stating that he is not planning to run, Donna Brazile, Gore's campaign chairwoman in the 2000 campaign, made a series of cryptic comments during a speech on January 31, 2007, at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania which referred to the Academy Award nomination for An Inconvenient Truth. She said "Wait till Oscar night, I tell people: 'I'm dating. I haven't fallen in love yet. On Oscar night, if Al Gore has slimmed down 25 or 30 pounds, Lord knows." An Inconvenient Truth, won the 2007 Academy Award for Documentary Feature and Gore joined director Davis Guggenheim and other members of the cast on stage during the Academy Awards and gave a brief speech.[11] The Agence France-Presse, noted the day after the Academy Awards, on 26 February 2007, that: "Many analysts believe he could yet enter the 2008 race for the White House although Gore has repeatedly said he is unlikely to run for office."[12] In addition, in the 26 February 2007 edition of The Nation, John Nichols noted of Gore's speech at the Academy Awards:

"No, Al Gore did not make any major announcements Sunday night. But he certainly did not still speculation about the prospect that he might yet enter the 2008 presidential race. The former vice president was never going to use the Academy Awards ceremony as a launching pad for a third presidential bid. In fact, no one familiar with the man could have imagined him even pondering such a stunt."[13]

The question of whether or not Gore will run is the cover story of the 28 May 2007 issue of TIME magazine, The Last Temptation of Al Gore. [14]

As of 2007, Gore's popularity has increased among progressives and supporters of the Democratic Party since his loss to George W. Bush following the close 2000 election.[15][16] Gore received 68% of support among potential 2008 Democratic presidential candidates on a May 2006 Daily Kos poll[17] of those who voted, and 35% on July 13, 2006, AlterNet poll.[18] When compared to other candidates, Gore is usually third on most polls. A Gallup poll of August 2006 showed that nearly half of Americans currently view Gore favorably (48 percent to 45 percent).[19][20] A CNN telephone poll conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation of registered or independent leaning Democrats in November 2006 has Gore with 14% support in a theoretical multi-candidate Democratic primary.[21] A poll of Democratic Iowa voters in light of the 2008 Iowa Caucus put Gore at 7%.[22] In a recent California Field poll, Gore is second at 25%, behind Hillary Clinton by 6 percentage points; however, in the California Bay Area, Gore is the leading candidate.[23] Gore also has the highest approval rating when compared to other Democratic nominees. On August 8, 2007, Gore said that he may re-enter politics in the future, but still has no plans to run for president in 2008. However, he hopes to make the climate crisis a focus of the election during the campaign. A Draft Gore movement is active.[24] As of October 14, 2007, the movement's petition has over 200,000 signatures.[25] A live vote on MSNBC after the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize showed 59% of respondents favoring a Gore run in 2008. When asked who they would vote for among all democratic candidates should Gore run, Gore was favored at 54%, while Clinton recieved 9.3%, Obama 5.5%, and Edwards 3%.[26]

02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)Laxwarrior12 02:42, 21 October 2007 (UTC)


Withdrawn from race

Candidates who have withdrawn their candidacy

Former Governor Tom Vilsack 		Tom Vilsack, born December 13, 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, former Governor of Iowa, Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. Many suspected Vilsack was high on the list of potential running mates for John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election. In 2005, Vilsack established Heartland PAC,[27] a political action committee aimed at electing Democratic Governors and other statewide candidates. Unlike the PACs of potential candidates, Heartland PAC is not a federal PAC and can not contribute to federal candidates. He filed papers with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to run for President on November 9, 2006.[28] However, he dropped out of the race on 23 February 2007 citing fundraising woes-he has since given his support to Hillary Rodham Clinton.[29][30]

Declined to seek nomination

Potential candidates who decided against running

Senator Evan Bayh 		Evan Bayh (born December 26, 1955), Indiana, former two-term Governor and currently a second-term U.S. Senator from that state. In February 2005, Bayh renamed his Federal Leadership PAC the All America PAC and hired a new veteran staff with experience on the 2004 campaigns of John Kerry and Wesley Clark for President and Tom Daschle for senate. Although Bayh filed papers with the FEC to form a presidential exploratory committee on December 5, 2006, he announced on December 16, 2006 that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for President, and since then has endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton.[31]

General Wesley Clark (Ret.) 		Wesley Clark born December 23, 1944, in Illinois, from Arkansas, a Vietnam war veteran, a retired United States Army four-star general and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. He graduated first in his class from West Point. Clark is traveling widely through his Federal Leadership PAC WesPAC,[32] and is a commentator on MSNBC, while grassroots campaigns for Clark have become active on the internet.[33] Clark was a 2004 Presidential candidate as well, narrowly winning the Oklahoma primary. During a January 17, 2007, speech given to a local UAW group in Alabama and posted on YouTube, Clark stated "when I run, I'll be the national security candidate." [34] He endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton on September 15, 2007, seemingly ruling out a future run, though making him a frontrunner to be Senator Clinton's running-mate, should she win the Democratic nomination.

Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader 		Tom Daschle, born December 9, 1947, in South Dakota, former U.S. Senator from that state. He set up a new political action committee and planned a Jefferson-Jackson Day speech in the politically pivotal state of Iowa. Daschle has transferred $500,000 into the new Federal Leadership PAC, New Leadership for America.[35] In July 2005, Daschle said he was not planning a rematch against his successor John Thune in 2010, and he told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper that he was seriously considering a run and would not "rule out the possibility of an official announcement in the near future." However, on December 2, 2006, Daschle announced he would not run for President in 2008, and has since thrown his support behind Barack Obama's campaign.[36]

Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont 		Howard Dean, born November 17, 1947, in New York, former Governor of Vermont. Howard Dean is the current DNC Chairman, and was a candidate for the nomination in 2004. Dean said if he won the DNC Chairmanship he would not run for president and, since he won, has often repeated this.[37]

Senator Russ Feingold 		Russ Feingold, born March 2, 1953, in Wisconsin, U.S. Senator from that state. Announced to a meeting of the Tiger Bay Club of Volusia County, Florida, in January 2005 that he was considering a run for the nomination, and would decide after "going around the country" to campaign for fellow Democrats running for other offices.[38] His Federal Leadership PAC is the Progressive Patriots Fund,[39] which financed his travels around the country.[40] In early March 2005, his Senate campaign registered the domain name for the website www.russfeingold08.com as well as the .org and .net versions.[41][42][43] Later that month, he took a listening trip to Alabama.[44] In early April 2005, Feingold announced that he would be divorcing his second wife, a move which some analysts believe could diminish his chances of winning the presidential nomination. On August 17, 2005, Feingold became the first U.S. Senator to publicly support a firm date for withdrawal from the Iraq War,[45] suggesting December 31, 2006, as a reasonable date. Although Feingold's stance was generally criticized by other Democratic senators, including Biden and Clinton, his support in nonscientific internet polls of party activists jumped. In December 2005, when he led the Senate campaign against the renewal of the Patriot Act his support among party activists further intensified. Following the overwhelming resonance for his anti-war and bi-partisan rule of law positions in the 2006 Congressional elections, Feingold commented that the legislative victory "pushes me in both directions," and "he could make a decision on a presidential run before the end of the year".[46] However, on November 12, 2006, Feingold ruled out a 2008 presidential candidacy,[40] but has stated he is willing to consider an offer from the eventual nominee for the vice presidency.[47] Feingold has stated that his first choice for president in 2008 would be someone who voted against the war in Iraq, and failing that, his second choice would be someone who wasn't in Congress but spoke out against the war at the time. He also said he would "be happy" if Barack Obama or Al Gore ran, but stated he was not offering an endorsement.[48]

Senator John Kerry 		John Kerry, born December 11, 1943, in Denver, Colorado, is the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee. On March 1, 2005, Kerry created a new Federal Leadership PAC named Keeping America's Promise.[49] Dan Payne, a Democratic strategist, told the Washington Post that "This is the kind of thing he has to do" in order to run for president again in 2008.[50] Through Keeping America's Promise, Kerry boasts to have raised or given away over $14 million to nearly 300 progressive candidates, committees or causes.[51] Kerry told CNN, with respect to a run in 2008, "it's crazy to be thinking about it now" but went on to say that "I'll make my judgment when the time comes and I don't care what history says."[52] However, there was a controversy on October 30, 2006, over a speech made by Kerry at Pasadena City College. Future implications of his comments are still unclear, however Kerry himself claimed the incident will have little bearing on 2008 and that he will make a decision in early 2007.[53] On January 24, 2007, Kerry announced that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2008.[54] Kerry and his JohnKerry.com e-mail list was also a supporter of Al Gore's recent house parties across the United States to spread information about global warming. In a letter e-mailed from JohnKerry.com, Kerry stated: "When strong leaders like Al Gore step forward to educate and organize people around vitally important issues, they deserve our full support."[55]
  • U.S. Senator from Massachusetts: 1985-Present
  • Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts: 1983-1985

Al Sharpton 		Al Sharpton of New York, Pentecostal minister, civil rights activist, former candidate for mayor of New York and for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from New York, and candidate for the 2004 nomination. When asked about 2008, he replied, "Don't get Hillary mad at me."[56] He was one of the first candidates to enter the 2004 race, but thus far he has said nothing more about 2008. His 2004 campaign was not a great success. He never got more than 10% of the vote in any state, although he did get 20% in the District of Columbia.[57] There are still unresolved campaign-finance issues left over from that campaign. In January 2007, when asked if he was considering running in 2008, Sharpton said "I don't hear any reason not to," adding, "we'll see over the next couple of months." [58]

On April 2, 2007, Sharpton announced that he won't get into the 2008 presidential race this time. "I am not going to run." [1]


Mark Warner, former Governor of Virginia 		Mark Warner (born December 15, 1954), former Governor of Virginia. As a successful Governor from a "red state" (barred from serving consecutive terms by state law) and popular within the party, it was highly anticipated that Warner would mount a Presidential bid. While it was ruled out by Warner himself in October[59], news that he was considering a bid was confirmed by colleague Dan Conley in December[60]. With Governor Warner's fund-raising capabilities and his potential as a vice presidential candidate, it was possible that Warner will still play a significant role in the campaign, until he became a candidate for a U.S. Senate.

See also

References

  1. ^ Akers, Mary Ann (2007-05-15). "Another Dark Horse Joins the '08 Dem Field". The Sleuth (Washington Post). Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  2. ^ "LaMagna for President 2008: Ending the violence in Iraq". LaMagna for President. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
  3. ^ http://www.alberthoward.org/
  4. ^ http://wilderside.wordpress.com/prez-08/
  5. ^ http://www.prattas.com/
  6. ^ Homepage http://www.citizendan2008.com - contains Bio and Photos.
  7. ^ "UPDATE: Stephen Colbert May Run for President -- South Carolina TV Invites Him to Kick Off Bid". Editor and Publisher. 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  8. ^ Memmott, Mark (2007-10-17). "Colbert says he's running for president: Can he take the heat?". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  9. ^ Bach, Stephen (2006-12-06). "CNN Political Ticker AM". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  10. ^ Benson, Josh (2006-12-14). "Albert Gore: Dad's Doing Well, Not Running in 2008". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  11. ^ Nagourney, Adam (2007-02-25). "Gore Wins Hollywood in a Landslide". The Caucus. The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
  12. ^ Woollard, Rob (2007-02-26). "Oscars go green as Gore issues environmental rallying cry" (Reprint). Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  13. ^ Nichols, John (2007-02-26). "Announcing Al Gore". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  14. ^ http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20070528,00.html
  15. ^ Chait, Jonathan (2006-06-04). "Gore's popularity soars as Clinton loses her way" (Reprint). Deseret News. FindArticles. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  16. ^ Associated Press (2006-09-11). "Gore says he hasn't ruled out another White House run". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  17. ^ "Who do you support in 2008?". Daily Kos. 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  18. ^ Hazen, Don (2006-07-13). "Readers Speak: Gore, Chomsky and Ivins Are Winners". AlterNet. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  19. ^ Harper, Jennifer (2006-08-04). "Gore's U.S. popularity not as hot as warning to globe". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  20. ^ Carroll, Joseph (2006-08-03). "Americans Not Warming to Al Gore". The Gallup Poll. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  21. ^ "Poll: Clinton leads '08 Democratic pack, Kerry slips". CNN.com. 2006-11-20. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  22. ^ "KCCI Poll Shows Vilsack 3rd Among Democratic Hopefuls". KCCI.com. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  23. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/03/MNGISP0I4C1.DTL&hw=field+poll&sn=001&sc=1000
  24. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/13/eveningnews/main2795973.shtml
  25. ^ "DRAFT GORE: AL GORE FOR PRESIDENT 2008 - Petition Signatories". Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  26. ^ "Live Vote: Do you think Al Gore should run for president in '08?". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  27. ^ "Heartland PAC". Heartland PAC. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  28. ^ "FEC Disclosure Reports: VILSACK, THOMAS J". United States Federal Election Commission. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  29. ^ "Ex-Iowa governor drops 2008 presidential bid". CNN.com. 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  30. ^ Thurman, Kevin (2007-02-23). "Thank You Video". Vilsack for President Blog. Tom Vilsack for President, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  31. ^ Johnson, Sasha (2003-12-16). "Bayh bows out of '08 presidential race". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  32. ^ "WesPAC". WesPAC-Securing America's Future. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  33. ^ "Draft Wesley Clark for President". DraftWesleyClark.com. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  34. ^ "Alabama". YouTube. 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  35. ^ "New Leadership for America". New Leadership for America. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  36. ^ Associated Press (2007-02-21). "Ex-Senate leader Daschle endorses Obama". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  37. ^ Gunzburger, Ron. "2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates: Howard Dean". Politics1. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  38. ^ Moe, Doug (2005-02-05). "Doug Moe: Universal studio gets 'Sunlight'". The Capital Times. Retrieved 2007-02-23.
  39. ^ "Progressive Patriots Fund". Progressive Patriots Fund. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  40. ^ a b Tumulty, Brian (2006-11-13). "Feingold ends talk of presidential run". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  41. ^ "Domain Name Registration". pair Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  42. ^ "Domain Name Registration". pair Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  43. ^ "Domain Name Registration". pair Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  44. ^ Gilbert, Craig (2005-03-31). "Southern strategy for Feingold". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  45. ^ Baker, Peter (2005-08-18). "Feingold Urges Troop Withdrawal By End of '06". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  46. ^ Associated Press (2006-11-09). "Feingold closer to decision on presidential run". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  47. ^ Magney, Reid (2006-11-21). "Feingold focusing on Senate work, won't rule out VP role". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  48. ^ Gilbert, Craig (2006-11-11). "Feingold rules out 2008 run for president". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  49. ^ "Keeping America's Promise". Keeping America's Promise, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  50. ^ Leiby, Richard (2005-03-01). "Kerry Sets the Stage for a Second Act". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  51. ^ {http://blog.johnkerry.com/2007/01/still_fighting.html}
  52. ^ Woodruff, Judy (2005-03-16). "Sen. John Kerry back in the fight". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  53. ^ Yen, Hope (2006-11-19). "Kerry: Botched Joke Won't Affect 2008" (Reprint). Associated Press. Breitbart.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  54. ^ King, John (2007-01-24). "Kerry decides against 2008 presidential run". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ jsamuel (2006-12-13). "John Kerry: "If {Gore} had not just been elected but been inaugurated as president..."". DemocraticUndergound.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21. Some have interpreted that statement to allude to Kerry being Gore's possible running mate if he would declare his candidacy for the 2008 election. Kerry was under serious consideration from Gore in 2000.
  56. ^ James, Ben (2005-09-13). "Freddy & Al: Brief Encounter". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  57. ^ "2004 PRIMARY RESULTS: Al Sharpton". CNN.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  58. ^ Associated Press (2007-01-09). "Sharpton considers running for president". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
  59. ^ "Statement of Governor Mark Warner". Forward Together Pac. 2006-10-12. Retrieved 2006-10-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  60. ^ Conley, Dan (2006-12-17). "More on Warner". Political Wire. Retrieved 2006-12-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2008_Democratic_Party_presidential_candidates&oldid=165973962"