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Candidate Biographies

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  Hillary Clinton

  Hillary Clinton, currently a senator representing New York, would be the first female president of the United States if elected. A senator since 2001, Clinton has supported middle-class tax cuts, worked to strengthen a children's health insurance program and authored legislation enacted to better protect the American food supply from bioterrorism.
  
  She also was first lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 while her husband served as president. In 1993, Clinton headed a task force that drafted legislation to provide universal health care to all Americans. That legislation ultimately was not passed, but Clinton continues to see providing health insurance for all Americans as one of her top goals.
  
  Clinton was born October 26, 1947, and grew up in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois. She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Yale Law School. She also worked as an attorney, authored books and was the first lady of Arkansas while her husband was governor. Their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, has been active on the campaign trail.

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  John McCain

  John McCain, currently a senator representing Arizona, would be the oldest president of the United States if elected. Serving in the Senate since 1986, he is known for championing legislation that reformed elections financing and lobbying laws.
  
  McCain, whose father and grandfather served in the U.S. Navy, had a 22-year naval career. He served in Vietnam, where he was a prisoner of war for more than five years, and received many naval honors for his service. McCain was also a presidential candidate in 2000, but lost the nomination to George W. Bush.
  
  McCain was born August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was serving in the U.S. Navy. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy. McCain's wife, Cindy McCain, has been active in many international humanitarian organizations. He has seven children, including a son who recently returned from serving in Iraq and a daughter adopted from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh.

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  Barack Obama

  Barack Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, would be the first African-American president of the United States if elected. Serving in the Senate since 2004, Obama introduced bipartisan legislation what allows Americans to learn online how their tax dollars are spent. He also serves on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, which helps oversee the care of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
  
  Previously, Obama worked as a community organizer and civil rights attorney in Chicago, and served for eight years in the Illinois State Senate.
  
  Obama was born August 4, 1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places, including Indonesia. His mother was from Kansas and his father from Kenya. Obama attended Columbia University in New York and earned a law degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts. He and his wife, Michelle Obama, who also worked as a lawyer and later for the University of Chicago, have two young daughters.

  Barack Obama's Official Web Site Return to Top