United States: Democratic Presidential candidates

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr

Joe Biden, born November 20, 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. On January 31, 2007, he officially signed the papers with the FEC to run for president.

* U.S. Senator from Delaware: 1973–Present

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was in born October 26, 1947 is the junior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party. She is married to Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, and was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Hillary was raised in a middle-class family in the middle of America. From that classic suburban childhood in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary went on to become one of America's foremost advocates for children and families; an attorney twice voted one of the most influential in America; a First Lady of Arkansas who helped transform the schools; a bestselling author; a First Lady for America who helped transform that role, becoming a champion for health care and families at home and a champion of women's rights and human rights around the world.

* Chairperson of the United States Legal Services Corporation: 1977
* First Lady of Arkansas: 1979–1981 and 1983–1992
* Chairperson of the Children's Defense Fund: 1986–1991
* Director on the Board of Wal-Mart : 1986–1992
* First Lady of the United States: 1993–2001
* Chairperson of the President's Task Force on Health Care Reform: 1993
* Founding Chairwoman of the Save America's Treasures program
* Co-Founder of the Office of Violence Against Women: 1995
* Chairwoman of the Adoption and Safe Families Act: 1997
* U.S. Senator from New York: 2001–present

Christopher John Dodd

Christopher John Dodd was born May 27, 1944, he is an American lawyer and politician from Willimantic, Connecticut. Forty-six years ago, Chris stood on the East Front of the Capitol and heard John Kennedy’s famous inaugural address calling all Americans to be a part of something greater than themselves. In 1972, Chris earned a law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law and practiced in New London before he was called to public service like his father. Chris Dodd’s reputation for independence, vision, and effectiveness extends to even the toughest issues. Even before the tragedy of September 11th, Chris recognized the importance of America’s first responders, authoring and passing landmark legislation that has provided more than $3 billion to help towns and cities hire, equip, and train firefighters. In the aftermath of the disputed 2000 Presidential election, Chris authored the Help America Vote Act which has been called the most important voting rights legislation since the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And he has long championed bringing fiscal discipline into the federal budget-making process, introducing a “pay-as-you-go” budget proposal early in his Senate career and co-sponsored the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings deficit reduction legislation.

* U.S. Senator from Connecticut: 1981–Present
* U.S. Representative from the Connecticut's 2nd congressional district: 1975–1981

Johnny Reid Edwards

Born: 20 June 1953, John Edwards was the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Edwards is the son of a millworker; he attended North Carolina State University and then earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina in 1977. Over the next two decades he made his name in North Carolina as a trial lawyer who represented "the little guy" in lawsuits against large companies, frequently winning huge cash awards for his clients. Edwards unofficially began his presidential campaign as early as 2000 , when he began to seek speaking engagements in Iowa, the site of the nation's first party caucuses. On January 2, 2003, he announced formation of an exploratory committee, allowing him to begin fundraising while not officially campaigning. On September 15, 2003, Edwards unofficially announced his intention to seek the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, thus fulfilling a promise he made as a guest during the show's coverage of the 2002 midterm elections.

* U.S. Senator from North Carolina: 1999–2005

Maurice Robert Gravel

Born May 13, 1930, Mike Gravel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to French Canadian immigrants. He attended French-speaking Catholic schools and as a teenager, when he wasn’t working with his father and brothers in the house painting and construction business, volunteered in local Springfield politics, developing an avid interest in government Senator Gravel enlisted in the U.S. Army (1951-54) and served as special adjutant in the Communication Intelligence Services and as a Special Agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps. He received a B.S. in Economics from Columbia University, New York City, and holds four honorary degrees in law and public affairs.
Gravel served on the Environment and Public Works Committee throughout his Senate career. He also served on the Finance and Interior Committees and he chaired the Energy, Water Resources, and Environmental Pollution subcommittees.

* Alaska State Representative: 1962–1966 (Speaker: 1965–1966)
* U.S. Senator from Alaska: 1969–1981

Dennis John Kucinich

Kucinich, Dennis, a Representative from Ohio; born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, A feisty liberal Democrat from a blue-collar background, Kucinich soon made waves by refusing to sell the city's municipal electric system to private competitors during a budget crisis, thereby pushing the city into temporary bankruptcy. Kucinich lost his bid for reelection in 1979; after a long period away from electoral politics, he was elected an Ohio state senator in 1994 and in 1996 was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran for president in 2004 and carried his campaign all the way to the Democratic convention, where John Kerry was nominated. He announced as a candidate for president again in December 2006.

* Mayor of Cleveland: 1978–1979
* U.S. Representative from Ohio's 10th congressional district: 1997–Present

Barack Hussein Obama

OBAMA, Barack, a Senator from Illinois; born in Honolulu, Hawaii, August 4, 1961, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois is considered one of the fastest-rising stars in US politics. He was the third African-American to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention when he took the stage at the 2004 convention in Boston, MA. A few months later, the former law professor at the University of Chicago became the fifth African-American US senator in history, winning with a landslide 70% of the vote. On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States. If elected, he would be the first African-American president of the US.

* U.S. Senator from Illinois: 2005–Present

William Blaine Richardson III

Born November 15, 1947, is an American politician, and the current Governor of New Mexico. On January 21, 2007, in an appearance of This Week with George Stephanopolous, Richardson announced that he would be running for president in 2008, and on May 21, 2007, he formally announced his candidacy. The United States faces huge challenges, but also huge opportunities. I am running for President because these times call for a leader with a proven track record, and a demonstrated ability to bring people together to tackle our problems at home and abroad, I am that person, not because I say so, but because of what I have done, and what I can do for the American people."

* Governor of New Mexico: 2003–Present
* United States Secretary of Energy: 1998–2001
* United States Ambassador to the United Nations: 1997–1998
* U.S. Representative from the New Mexico's 3rd congressional district: 1983–1997

Wesley Kanne Clark

Wesley Kanne Clark is the former U.S. Army general who ran as a Democratic candidate for the presidency in the 2004 election. As a 25-year old Army captain in Vietnam, commanding a mechanized infantry company, Clark was on patrol in the jungle, looking for Viet Cong, when he was shot four times. Commanding his troops despite his wounds, he gave a series of orders, and his soldiers quickly overran the enemy positions. His bravery in battle earned him a Silver Star.

Albert Arnold Gore Jr

Al Gore was inaugurated as the 45th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 1993. President Clinton chose then-Senator Gore to be his running mate on July 9, 1992. He was formally nominated as the Democratic nominee for Vice President one week later at the Democratic National Convention in New York. Al Gore, was born March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C.) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist. Gore's Congressional career began when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 where he served eight years representing the then 4th District of Tennessee. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and was re-elected in 1990, becoming the first candidate in modern history -- Republican or Democratic -- to win all 95 of Tennessee's counties. A candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 1988, Gore won more than three million votes and Democratic contests in seven states.

* Vice-President of the United States: 1993-2001
* U.S. Senator from Tennessee: 1985-1993
* U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 6th congressional district: 1983-1985
* U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 4th congressional district: 1977-1983