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Candidates for the President of the United States of America |
| Independant Candidates | Democratic Candidates | Republican Candidates |
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Stephen Colbert
|
On
October 14,
2007, Stephen wrote
Maureen Dowd's column in the
New York Times, where, among poking fun at
Frank Rich and several presidential hopefuls, he stated he would run
for president for the sum of 15 million dollars.[49] On the October 16, 2007 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Colbert, in character, announced "he is officially considering whether or not he will announce if he is considering running for President of the United States", and would make his announcement "on a more prestigious show". Fifteen minutes later, again in character, he announced his candidacy on The Colbert Report, saying he will run in the South Carolina primary as a Democrat, a Republican, and a favorite son of South Carolina.[4]
|
 |
| These have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), and are conducting multi-state campaigns. | |
|---|---|
 Senator Joe Biden |
Joe Biden, born November 16, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. Senator from Delaware and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, although he ceased active campaigning in 1987, before the first primaries. Biden first hinted that he might run in 2008 in a December 8, 2004, radio interview with host Don Imus, saying: "I'm going to proceed as if I'm going to run." Biden has repeatedly stated his intention to run, and did so as early as 21 March 2006. Biden's Federal Leadership PAC is "Unite Our States", which tracks Biden's public appearances and policy positions. On 7 January 2007, when asked by Tim Russert on Meet the Press "Are you running for President?" he responded, "I am running for President." He also said he plans to create an exploratory committee by the end of the month.[61][62][63] On January 31, 2007, he officially signed the papers with the FEC to run for president.
|
Senator Hillary Clinton |
Hillary Rodham Clinton, born October 26, 1947, in Illinois, U.S. Senator from New York and former First Lady of the United States. Clinton announced the formation of her exploratory committee on 20 January 2007, with a post on her website.[64] She has delivered several speeches which analysts say are intended to reach out to moderates. She has also been holding fundraising meetings, including meeting with women from Massachusetts, a key constituency of potential rival and 2004 nominee John Kerry; however, these activities are consistent with the lead up to a campaign for re-election to her Senate seat in 2006. Many Republicans appear to be hoping that Senator Clinton will run for President, presumably believing her to be a polarizing figure.[65][66] If elected, Clinton would be the first female president. Clinton announced on January 20, 2007, that she will run in 2008 (the same day she announced the formation of an exploratory committee). She has filed the official paperwork for an exploratory committee.[67] |
 Senator Christopher Dodd |
Christopher Dodd, was born
May 27,
1944, in
Connecticut and is a five-term U.S. Senator from that state. Dodd
was reported to be a likely contender for the Democratic Vice President
slot on
John Kerry's ticket in
2004. In
May 2006, Dodd said he has "decided to do all the things that are
necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008", including hiring
staff, raising money and traveling around the country in the next few
months to enlist support.[68]
On Jan. 11, 2007, Dodd announced his Presidential candidacy on the "Imus
in the Morning" radio show with Don Imus.[69]
|
 Former Senator John Edwards |
John Edwards, born June 10, 1953, in South Carolina, former U.S. Senator from North Carolina, candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000 and 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee. As a presidential candidate, Edwards was famed for his populist message in his "Two Americas" speech and also for his optimistic, positive attitude. This was evidenced by his refusal to attack his opponents. In the primaries, Sen. Edwards had strong come-from-behind showings in the crucial states of Iowa, Oklahoma, Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Georgia. He also won the North Carolina caucus and the South Carolina primary. Edwards has kept his Federal Leadership PAC, the One America Committee, active to help Democrats across the nation win elections in the future. On February 5, 2005, Edwards spoke at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's fundraising dinner. On August 18, 2005, Edwards traveled to Waterloo, Iowa, to deliver an address to the Iowa AFL-CIO, a potential key supporter in the Iowa caucus. On December 26, 2006, Edwards formally announced his candidacy.[70]
|
 Former Senator Mike Gravel |
Mike Gravel, born May 13, 1930, in Springfield, Massachusetts. U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1981 and an active candidate for Vice President in 1972. He is most known for playing a key role in ending the draft during the Vietnam War through the release of the Pentagon Papers and through staging a one-man filibuster for 5 months. He is also notable for advocating a guaranteed annual income, which he termed a "citizen's wage," of $5,000 per person, regardless of whether the person worked. On April 13, 2006, Gravel announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. His policy announcements to date include support for direct democracy, FairTax and withdrawal from Iraq. Mike Gravel filed with the FEC in April according to various news sources.[71][72] The FEC's site has listed his reports since July.[73]
|
 Representative Dennis Kucinich |
Dennis Kucinich, born October 8, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. Ohio Congressman, former Mayor of Cleveland, and 2004 Democratic primary candidate. Dennis Kucinich is known by many as "The Peace Candidate", having received the 2003 Gandhi Peace Award. Kucinich opposed the war in Iraq and the Patriot Act. Under Kucinich's plan, United Nations peace-keepers would go to Iraq if the Iraqi citizens desire their presence. The Congressman re-introduced legislation to create a United States Department of Peace via HR 808 on February 5, 2007. He is currently campaigning to end the war in Iraq by cutting off funding, if such measures are necessary. He is the only democratic candidate who voted against authorizing President Bush to invade Iraq. He is in support of peaceful diplomatic relations with Iran, and all nations. Kucinich has received many awards praising his courage and work for peace.[74][75] On December 12, 2006, Kucinich announced his candidacy at an event at Cleveland's City Hall.[76]
|
 Senator Barack Obama |
Barack Obama, born August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Senator from Illinois. A "draft Obama" movement began with his well-received 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address. Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, a political event favored by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus. He was endorsed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2006.[77] Various recent opinion polls have seen Obama trailing only Hillary Clinton in several polls.[78] If elected, he would become the first part African-American President of the United States. Obama announced on February 10, 2007, that he will run in 2008. He has filed the official paperwork.[79]
|
 Governor Bill Richardson |
Bill Richardson, born
November 15,
1947, in
Pasadena, California, Governor of
New
Mexico, former U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations,
Secretary of Energy and U.S. Representative. After reportedly
informing party leaders in February 2005 of his intention to run for
president, on
December 7,
2006, Richardson said "I am running" during his response to a
prospective question about the 2008 presidential election by
Fox
News, however he later retracted the decision and said he would make
an official decision by January. On
May 21,
2007, he
officially declared his candidacy.
[80] If elected he would be the first Hispanic American to
hold Presidential Office.
|
 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:
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]
|
 |
| These have filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), and are conducting multi-state campaigns. | |
|---|---|
 Senator Sam Brownback |
 |
 Rudy Giuliani former mayor of New York City |
Rudy Giuliani, born May 28, 1944, in New York, former mayor of New York City. Giuliani said on October 2, 2005, that he would look at the possibility of running for President. On November 13, 2006, he announced that he was forming an exploratory committee. He has led several state and nationwide polls for the Republican nomination and the general election, and has been mentioned by many media sources as a possible candidate since the 9/11 attacks and a speech to the 2004 Republican Convention.[30] (See polls below) Giuliani is pro-choice, and supports a type of civil union between same sex couples and agrees for legal and medical reasons that same sex relationships should get the same rights under the law. He also believes in strong restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms and agrees with harsh punishment for illegal weapons or non permitted weapons. While opinions differ, some think that these positions could help him, should he secure the nomination, in the general election; others question whether the Republican base would support a nominee with Giuliani's social positions. On February 5, 2007, Giuliani unofficially entered the race for the 2008 U.S. presidential election by filing a "statement of candidacy" with the Federal Election Commission, but legally keeping him at the same level as he was while running an exploratory committee.[31] On February 15, Giuliani officially announced that he was running on CNN's Larry King Live show.[32] If elected, Giuliani would be the first Italian-American to hold the office of president, the second Roman Catholic, following John Kennedy. |
 Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas |
Mike Huckabee, born August 24, 1955, in Hope, Arkansas, served as Governor of Arkansas for over 10 years. Huckabee has announced he will seek the Presidency in 2008.[33] He has made several trips to important primary states, including a four-day trip to New Hampshire in August 2006. His campaign has been focused largely on Iowa for the Ames Straw Poll on August 11, 2007 He announced that he would be running in 2008 on NBC's Meet the Press Television show with Tim Russert.[34] and has since made an appearances on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, The Today Show on NBC and many appearances on CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC regarding the 2008 Presidential Election. Huckabee was one of three who raised his hand in the May 3, 2007 Republican candidates debate when asked "Is there anybody on the stage who does not believe in evolution?"."[35] |
 Representative Duncan Hunter |
Duncan Hunter, born May 31, 1948, in Riverside, California, U.S. Representative from that state and former Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Hunter formally announced his presidential candidacy in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on January 25, 2007. He is known for his strong stance against illegal immigration, support and opposition to free trade agreements like North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization.[36] He introduced H.R. 552, The Right to Life Act, "to implement equal protection . . . for the right to life of each born and preborn human person"; it has over 100 co-sponsors. |
 Dr. Alan Keyes |
Alan Keyes, born August 7, 1950, is a former Reagan administration diplomat, a Harvard-educated constitutional scholar, and a conservative political activist. He is also a former television and radio talk show host. He has previously run twice for President of the United States in 1996 and 2000 and three times for the U.S. Senate in 1988, 1992, and 2004 as a Republican. |
 Senator John McCain |
John McCain, born August 29, 1936, in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, Senator from Arizona. Often characterized as a Republican maverick in the Senate, he is well-known. In 2000, he failed in his attempt to deny George W. Bush the Republican nomination: McCain continued his ultimately unsuccessful campaign long after the other Republican candidates had united behind Bush. McCain's bipartisan compromise on judicial nominations and his strong support of campaign finance reform have drawn the ire of many groups,[37] many of which have vowed to work against any McCain campaigns for the Republican nomination in 2008. However, he has a strong stance on many issues and economically falls more along the lines of traditional "fiscal conservatism." These factors, along with his commitment to the War on Terror (including Iraq) have boosted his popularity amongst conservatives since 2004, when he emphasized these traits while stumping for Republican candidates. On November 15, 2006, McCain announced that he would form an exploratory committee. On "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Feb 28, 2007, Sen. John McCain announced he will seek the GOP presidential nomination, and made a formal announcement on April 25, 2007. |
 Representative Ron Paul |
Ron Paul, born August 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a long time U.S. Representative from Texas with a strong constitutionalist and libertarian voting record. Paul has been nicknamed "Dr. No" for his opposition to tax increases and spending bills. He has chastened his fellow Republicans for abandoning the party's ideals, and for helping to create an unsustainable national debt now in the trillions of dollars.[38] Paul seeks to "reinstate the Constitution and restore the Republic."[39] On 11 January 2007, Paul filed papers to form an exploratory committee for the 2008 presidential race.[40][41] He formally declared his candidacy 12 March 2007 as a guest on Washington Journal on C-SPAN.[42][43] He is not running as a Libertarian as he did nearly two decades ago. Paul has the distinction of being opposed to the Iraq War and interventionist U.S. foreign policy. He is one of 7 Republican congressman who voted against Iraq War authorization in October 2002. He has also opposed George W. Bush and the majority of Republican congressmen on many other issues, including the PATRIOT Act. His record on these issues means he may draw support from some surprising circles, including anti-war activists and paleoconservatives. On 20 February 2007, Paul's exploratory committee posted a formal video of him explaining his reason for running on YouTube. [44] |
 Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts |
Mitt Romney, born March 12, 1947, in Michigan, is former Governor of Massachusetts; he did not seek a second term in November 2006. Romney has made numerous trips to primary states such as South Carolina, Michigan, and New Hampshire, during recent years. Romney is running on his record as co-founder of Bain Capital, the CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and his record as Governor of Massachusetts. Although he ran as a moderate for the office of Governor of Massachusetts and during his failed Senate bid in 1994, he supported more conservative positions as his term progressed. Romney formed a presidential exploratory committee on January 3, 2007, the day he left the governor's office.[45] On January 9, Romney raised $6.5 million in his first fundraiser, beating both Giuliani and McCain's fundraising efforts ($1 and $2 million respectively). Romney has already received major endorsements, including that of former Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. Romney officially announced his candidacy on February 13 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.[46][47] |
 Representative Tom Tancredo |
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|
 Fred Thompson, former Senator of Tennessee |
Fred Dalton Thompson, born August 19, 1942, former Senator from Tennessee and actor, best known for playing D.A. Arthur Branch on Law & Order. There was speculation that Thompson would run for Governor of Tennessee in 2006, but he declined to run against the popular Governor Phil Bredesen. There has recently been a movement to encourage Thompson to run for President in 2008. On March 11, 2007, Thompson said "I'm giving some thought to it. Going to leave the door open. A lot of people think it's late already. I don't really think it is, although the rules of the game have changed somewhat. ... I think people are somewhat disillusioned. I think a lot of people are cynical out there. I think they're looking for something different." [50] On June 1, Thompson announced he had established a preliminary campaign committee, thus taking his first formal step toward an official presidential bid. [51]On September 6, he officially entered the presidential race.[52] |