Fourteen years after making his first run for the White House, Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri was poised to announce Saturday that he will enter the race for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.
Gephardt, who quickly ascended from being a St. Louis alderman in the 1970s to become a congressman, will open a presidential exploratory committee Monday, several associates said. The 61-year-old lawyer, who stepped down as the Democratic House leader after the midterm elections, will become the fourth announced candidate in a growing race.
By month’s end, more than a half-dozen Democrats are expected to have filed papers with the Federal Election Commission, allowing them to raise money for a White House bid.
Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York civil rights activist, said he, too, intends to form a presidential exploratory committee.
Since former Vice President Al Gore announced last month that he would not be a candidate in the Democratic race to unseat President Bush, the ticket of Democratic hopefuls has grown. The field, which could include a number of senators, is considered wide-open.
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina have announced their intentions to seek the Democratic nomination. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota also is leaning toward running, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut is expected to announce his candidacy this month.
Gephardt aides argue that in a crowded prospective field of Washington lawmakers, he stands out as the candidate with the most experience.
In the 1988 presidential race, Gephardt was championed by organized labor, and he still holds the loyalty and respect of the critical labor unions.
The son of a St. Louis milkman, Gephardt’s presidential ambitions flourished briefly in 1988 when he won the Iowa caucuses. But he dropped out of that race seven weeks later after failing to win another state.
He decided against a run in 1992, in part because of the popularity of then-President George Bush. But when a barely known Arkansas governor named Bill Clinton was elected that year, Gephardt’s hopes were dashed for the next eight years, as well as in 2000 when Gore sought the nomination.
On Friday, Sharpton confirmed that he would seek the nomination. While he has never held public office, Sharpton said he was probably more qualified than any other Democrat seeking the White House.
“I am running for president to finally put the issues concerning most Americans onto the front burner,” the 48-year-old civil rights activist said.
His spokeswoman said Sharpton would formally open his exploratory committee on Jan. 21.
“I’m qualified, probably more qualified than any other person who is expected to be on the Democratic ticket for 2004,” Sharpton said, “because I actually have a following, and I speak for the people.”
The presidential nominating season is scheduled to open in a little more than a year with caucuses in Iowa and a primary in New Hampshire.
Still, the schedule remains fluid as other states plan to jockey for an earlier position in the presidential contest.
