Candidate Biographies 

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is a senator representing New York. She also was U.S. first lady from 1993 to 2001 while her husband Bill Clinton served as president. Hillary Clinton, in 1993, headed a task force that developed proposed legislation to provide universal health care to all Americans. That legislation ultimately was not passed, but she continues to make universal health care one of her top political goals. Experts consider Clinton the first female presidential candidate with a realistic chance of winning the nomination and the election.

Clinton was born October 26, 1947, and grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois. She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Yale Law School. The Clintons have a daughter.

• Hillary Clinton's Official Web Site

Chris Dodd

Chris Dodd is a senator from Connecticut. Dodd, whose father also represented Connecticut in the Senate, worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and served in the Army National Guard. Dodd has opposed President Bush's troop surge strategy for Iraq, and has pledged that, if elected, he would not increase the troop level.

Dodd was born May 27, 1944, in Willimantic, Connecticut. He earned a law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law in Kentucky. Dodd and his wife, Jackie, have two daughters.

• Chris Dodd's Official Web Site

Mike Gravel Mike Gravel represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1981. He also served in the U.S. Army and was once a New York City taxi driver. Gravel has proposed abolishing the income tax and replacing it with a progressive sales tax. He also advocates legislation capping U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Gravel was born May 13, 1930, to French Canadian immigrants in Springfield, Massachusetts. He attended Columbia University in New York City. Gravel and his wife, Whitney Stewart Gravel, have two children and four grandchildren. Mike Gravel's Official Web Site

Dennis Kucinich Dennis Kucinich is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio. Formerly the mayor of Cleveland, he was the youngest person elected to run a major U.S. city when he took office at the age of 31 in 1977. Kucinich wants to form a Department of Peace, which would "offer a new clear vision of people working out their differences without resort to primitive violence." Kucinich was born October 8, 1946, in Cleveland. He attended Case Western Reserve University in the same city. He has a wife, Elizabeth, and a daughter from a previous marriage. Dennis Kucinich's Official Web Site

Barack Obama Barack Obama is a first-term senator from Illinois. Previously, he served in the Illinois state Legislature and worked as a civil rights attorney. Obama has proposed legislation that would create a new employment eligibility system for companies to verify if their employees are legal residents. Obama, whose father is from Kenya, is considered by experts to be the first African-American candidate with a reasonable chance of winning the presidency. Obama was born August 4, 1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places, including Indonesia. Obama attended Columbia University in New York and earned a law degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters. Barack Obama's Official Web Site

Bill Richardson Bill Richardson is the governor of New Mexico and a former congressman. He served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of energy during the Clinton administration. During his career, Richardson has negotiated with foreign leaders, including Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro. Richardson says he has the experience "to bridge gaps" and "achieve political solutions" and has criticized the Bush administration for not engaging with difficult regimes. Richardson was born November 15, 1947, in Pasadena, California, and lived in Mexico City for many years. He attended Tufts University in Massachusetts. Richardson and his wife, Barbara, have no children. Bill Richardson's Official Web Site