MEET THE CANDIDATES:

THIS PAGE IS CONSTANTLY UPDATED; PLEASE FORGIVE ANY GAPS OR INACCURACIES :: Candidates are listed alphabetically, by last name, under party affiliation; parties are listed according to the number of votes their candidate received in the 2000 Presidential election. Only parties which received 1% or more of the nationwide vote are included. Source for vote totals: Federal Election Commission.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY
(2000, Gore: 50,999,897 or 48.38%)

• KERRY ACCEPTS DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT
  Sen. John F. Kerry formally accepted his party's nomination to run for President of the United States tonight at the Fleet Center in Boston. After taking the podium, Sen. Kerry announced "I'm reporting for duty"... [Full Story]
  29 July 2004
• KERRY NOW PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE
  John Edwards bows out, leaving Kerry as clear frontrunner and presumptive Democratic nominee; Bush runs first ads on 4 March, is criticized for using Ground Zero footage for political gain
  4 March 2004
• DEAN "NO LONGER ACTIVELY PURSUING PRESIDENCY"
  After disappointing 3rd-place finish in Wisconsin, Gov. Dean ends campaign, says he'll support nominee, but asks supporters to seek delegates for their movement.
  18 February 2004
• NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTE-COUNT POINTS TO KERRY
  Shortly after 9:30pm ET, C-SPAN was reporting Kerry with 39% to Dean's 25%, with 61% of precincts reporting. At 97%, it was 39% to 26%.
  28 January 2004
• NEW HAMPSHIRE POLLS SHOW ROLLER-COASTER RACE
  New polls from New Hampshire shows an uncertain primary climate. Zogby says Dean trails Kerry by 3; Gallup says Kerry leads by 11.
  26 January 2004

Kerry, John: Senator from Massachusetts; decorated Vietnam veteran

• Early Winner: Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary
• Additional wins: Arizona, Delaware, New Mexico, Missouri, North Dakota, Michigan, Washington, Maine
• Super Tuesday (2 March) wins 9 of 10 states, including NY and CA
• 19 February: 64 labor unions delivered their endorsements to Kerry, including umbrella AFL-CIO
• Position on Iraq: voted for Congressional resolution approving action, critical of President's prosecution, policies, intelligence analysis and contract awards
• Leader of veterans' antiwar movement in 1970s
• Major Endorsements: Sen. Edward Kennedy (MA); Sen. Diane Feinstein (CA); Rep. Con. Ed Markey (MA); Rep. Jim McGovern (MA); Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ)
• Campaign website

Kucinich, Dennis: Member US House of Representatives, Ohio; former mayor of Cleveland

• Best finishes as of 9 February: 3rd (16%) in Maine, 3rd (8%) in Washington
• Position on Iraq: fervently anti-war
• Proposes Cabinet-level Department of Peace
• Has plan to replace US forces with UN forces in 90 days
• NYT background story
• Campaign website

Sharpton, Al: minister; community activist

• Best finish as of 8 February: 3rd in South Carolina
• Campaign aims to promote human rights
• Wants to "fulfill American democracy" through voting rights, increase voter registration, political and social consciousness
• Seeks universal healthcare
• Campaign website

Delegate Count after Washington, Michigan, 8 Febrary 2004
Kerry	Dean	Edwards	Clark	Sharpton	Kucinich
409	174	116	82	12	2
» See CNN's Delegate Scorecard for more information...

Delegate Count after New Hampshire, 28 January 2004
Dean	Kerry	Edwards	Clark	Lieberman	Sharpton	Kucinich	Other
113	94	36	30	25	4	2	0
» See CNN's Delegate Scorecard for more information...

Edwards, John: Senator from North Carolina; former trial lawyer

• Withdrew from race after losing all 10 "Super Tuesday" primaries, though he finished only 2% behind Kerry in GA
• Winner: South Carolina
• Sudden strong second-place finish in Wisconsin puts Edwards in position to compete for media attention
• Tax policy: says Bush tax policy is fundamental shift of tax burden from corporate America and super-rich to working families
• Frames campaign as advocacy for working families
• Successful trial lawyer, represented "the little guy" against big corporate interests
• NYT Candidate Profile
• Plans to lift 10 million out of poverty, into middle class
• Campaign website

Dean, Howard: MD; former 5-term Vermont Governor

• Dean wins Vermont on 2 March, his home state, by wide margin, despite withdrawal
• Withdrew on 18 February, after placing 3rd in Wisconsin
• Winner: Washington, D.C. primary (non-binding)
• Position on Iraq: Outspoken critic of Iraq War, favored cooperative diplomacy, ongoing inspections
• Middle East: favors engagement, two states, says he would ask fmr. President Clinton to serve as envoy
• Healthcare: Proposes universal healthcare for all Americans
• Major Endorsements: fmr. VP Al Gore; fmr. Sen. Bill Bradley; Sen. Tom Harkin (IA); fmr. primary opponent Carol Mosely Braun; Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (IL); Rep. Elijiah E. Cummings (MD); Rep. John Conyers (MI); fmr. Texas governor Ann Richards
• Union Support: AFSCME, SEIU (two largest in AFL-CIO)
• Campaign website

Clark, Wesley: retired Army General; former NATO Supreme Allied Commander; oversaw Kosovo intervention

• Withdrew from race after failing to win Virginia and Tennessee
• Winner: Oklahoma
• Position on Iraq: critical of President Bush, but initially supportive of resolution to authorize war, wants UN involvement
• Major Endorsements: fmr. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (WI), founder of Earth Day; Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz; Abenaki Nation: Vermont indigenous tribe; Rep. Martin Frost (TX); fmr. Kentucky Attorney General Ben Chandler
• Campaign website

Lieberman, Joseph: Senator from Connecticut; candidate for VP, 2000

• Withdrew from race after disappointing finish in Delaware primary
• Position on Iraq: pro-war, voted for resolution, supported regime-change policy, pre-emptive war doctrine
• Favorite of Democratic Leadership Council
• Campaign website

Gephardt, Richard: Member US House of Representatives, Missouri

• Withdrew from race after finishing 4th in Iowa caucuses
• Says he is candidate for the middle class
• Long standing House Rep. with traditionally strong labor support (endorsed by at least 21 unions, including Almalgamated Transit, Boilermakers, Teamsters, International Longshoreman, Laborers' International)
• Democratic House Leader for over a decade
• Major Endorsements: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer
• For environmental, labor protections in trade treaties, voted against NAFTA and trade privileges for China
• Ran for President in 1988, losing nomination to Dukakis
• Served in Air National Guard
• Campaign website

Mosely Braun, Carol: former Senator from Illinois; former Ambassador to New Zealand

• Has left the race, prior to the Iowa Caucuses
• Endorses Howard Dean for the nomination
• Also served as Assistant US Attorney, State Representative and County Executive
• Campaign website

REPUBLICAN PARTY
(2000, Bush: 50,456,002 or 47.87%)

Bush, George W.: President of the United States; former Texas Governor, candidate for Congress, oil executive, son of former President Bush

• Proposes Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage
• Led nation to war in Iraq
• Tax Policy: tax cuts create jobs, has cut taxes each of his three years
• Security: Homeland Security department uses mostly existing funding for member agencies, local authorities often required to fund federal mandates
• Borders: has instituted blanket fingerprinting, photographing of visiting foreign nationals (except those from visa-waiver nations, mostly European)
• White House website

GREEN PARTY
(2000, Nader: 2,882,955 or 2.74%)

• Party platform
  > Economic Bill of Rights > Grassroots Democracy > Fair Elections > Ecological Conversion > Sustainable Agriculture > Human Rights & Social Justice > Nonviolence
• Pundits speculate about possible draft of a liberal Democratic candidate who does not win nomination
• Green Party website

INDEPENDENT
(2000, Nader: 2,882,955 or 2.74%)

Nader, Ralph: Consumer rights advocate, founder of Public Citizen, political activist, Green Party candidate for President in 2000

• NADER ANNOUNCES INDEPENDENT RUN
  Saying he has strongly considered all variables, citing his desire to "retire our current president", he said he will run in order to give more Americans more choices, saying he would like to court disillusioned conservatives and liberal Republicans. He proclaimed "Washington is corporate-occupied territory" and cited his desire bring millions more citizens into the process.
  22 February 2004
• Exploratory Committee website
• Campaign website

For more links & information about the race to
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.:

• Full New Hampshire list of Presidential primary candidates
• Visit the Primary Monitor site, by the Concord Monitor
• New York Times campaigns page
• GET SAVVY WITH THE PBS DEMOCRACY PROJECT
  > How Margin of Error is Calculated for Polling
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