Americans, get ready, take your pick to the likely 2008 US presidential candidates.
News Source
REPUBLICANS
The following Republicans have either officially declared their intentions to run or formed exploratory committees:
• Arizona Senator John McCain, 70, a Vietnam War hero who lost to Bush in the 2000 Republican primaries, has a reputation for independence and
favors a US troop buildup in Iraq.
• Rudolph Giuliani, 62, is a former New York City mayor who enjoys strong popularity in opinion polls, in part for guiding New York's response to
the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the World Trade Center.
• Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 59, is credited with rescuing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, from scandal and
mismanagement. The Boston businessman is a devout Mormon.
• Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, 50, is a devout Roman Catholic who enjoys strong support from religious conservatives.
• Duncan Hunter, 58, is a former chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee who takes a conservative line, particularly
against illegal immigration.
• Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo, 61, is known for his tough stance against illegal immigration.
• Tommy Thompson, 65, is a former secretary of health and human services in the Bush administration.
• Mike Huckabee, 51, was governor of Arkansas for 10 years until stepping down in January.
The following Republicans have not declared their candidacy but are widely reported to be considering a run:
• Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, 60, is a moderate Republican and a vocal critic of the US handling of the war in Iraq.
• Newt Gingrich, 63, is a former speaker of the House of Representatives and a free-market ideologue.
DEMOCRATS
The following Democrats have either officially declared their intentions to run or formed exploratory committees:
• New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, 59, is a former energy secretary in the Clinton administration and a former US ambassador to the United
Nations. He has also lent his negotiating expertise to talks with North Korea and efforts to resolve the Darfur conflict. If elected, he would be the
first Hispanic US president.
• New York Senator Hillary Clinton, 59, is a strong favorite for the Democratic Party nomination. She has a team of experienced advisers, including
her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and many political heavyweights from his administration.
• Illinois Senator Barack Obama, 45, is considered the first African-American to have a serious chance of winning the presidency. Charismatic and
telegenic, he has begun a round of visits to key battleground states.
• John Edwards, 53, is a former senator and John Kerry's vice presidential running mate in the 2004 presidential election. Edwards is a populist
trial lawyer who has nurtured his support base in key states for party primary races, such as Iowa and South Carolina.
• Tom Vilsack, 56, is a former two-term governor of Iowa, where the first caucus to choose candidates in the presidential race will be held in
January 2008.
• Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, 60, is a pacifist who promotes social issues and embodies the party's left wing. He was a Democratic
contender in 2004 but garnered only minimal backing.
• Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, 64, the powerful centrist chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is an attorney and law professor who
was first elected to the US Senate in 1972, when he was just 29 years old.
• Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, 62, a senior Democrat in the Senate, is an old hand in foreign affairs. He was first elected to Congress in 1974,
serving for six years in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 1980.
The following Democrats have not declared their candidacy but are widely reported to be considering a run:
• Wesley Clark, 62, a former supreme allied commander of NATO in Europe, could launch another campaign after his failed attempt in 2004.
• Al Gore, 58, Clinton's vice president, was defeated by Bush in the 2000 election. He feebly denied having any presidential aspirations after the
success of "An Inconvenient Truth," his documentary on global warming, leaving open the possibility that he will join the race.
INDEPENDENT
• Ralph Nader, the 72-year-old consumer activist and populist, who ran for the White House in 1996 and 2000 under the Green Party banner and in 2004
as an independent. In the key 2000 vote he garnered 2.7 percent of the vote nationwide.
Is it a tough choice?