# 2004 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection

On March 2, 2004, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in the 2004 Presidential Election. Kerry selected North Carolina Senator John Edwards as his running mate on July 6, 2004. The Kerry–Edwards ticket was ultimately defeated by the Bush–Cheney ticket in the general election, and Edwards returned to the Senate following the campaign but left politics less than two months later.

## Selection Process

The vice presidential selection process was led by James Johnson, former chief executive officer of Fannie Mae and Chairman of Walter Mondale's 1984 Presidential Campaign. Kerry, who had been considered by Al Gore in 2000 as a potential running mate, sought to ensure that the selection process was discreet. To evade reporters, Kerry interviewed Edwards at former Secretary of State Madeline Albright's home in Washington D.C. Alyssa Mastromonaco, who would later serve as White House Deputy Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama, organized Kerry's meetings with the candidates.

### Reported Shortlist

Pundits and those close to the Kerry campaign indicated that candidates narrowed to five potential choices.
* Retired Army General and 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark of Arkansas
* Senator and 2004 presidential candidate John Edwards of North Carolina (1999–2005)
* Representative and 2004 presidential candidate Dick Gephardt of Missouri (1977–2005)
* Senator and 2004 presidential candidate Bob Graham of Florida (1987–2005)
* Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa (1999–2007)

## Announcement

The night before the campaign's announcement of the selection of Edwards, the information was leaked by an airport worker who saw Edwards's name being painted on Kerry's plane. On July 6, the Kerry campaign sent an e-mail message to his supporters at about 8:15 a.m. EDT informing them of the choice, and made the formal announcement at 9 a.m. EDT in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

## Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates
### Members of Congress

* Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana (1999–2011)
* Senator and 1988 presidential candidate Joe Biden of Delaware (1973–2009)
* Former Senator and 2000 presidential candidate Bill Bradley of New Jersey (1979–1997)
* Former Senator Max Cleland of Georgia (1997–2003)
* Senator Hillary Clinton of New York (2001–2009)
* Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina (1993–present)
* Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota (1987–2005)
* Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois (1997–present)
* Senator Dianne Feinstein of California (1992–2023)
* Former Senator and 1984 presidential candidate John Glenn of Ohio (1974–1999)
* Former Representative Lee H. Hamilton of Indiana (1965–1999)
* Senator and 1980 presidential candidate Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts (1962–2009)
* Former Senator and 1992 presidential candidate Bob Kerrey of Nebraska (1989–2001)
* Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana (1997–2015)
* Representative John Lewis of Georgia (1987–2020)
* Senator and 2004 presidential candidate Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (1989–2013)
* Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas (1999–2011)
* Republican Senator and 2000 Republican presidential candidate John McCain of Arizona (1987–2018)
* Senator Bill Nelson of Florida (2001–2019)
* Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia (1972–1997)
* Representative and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California (1987–present)

### Governors

* Janet Napolitano of Arizona (2003–2009)
* Bill Richardson of New Mexico (2003–2011)
* Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania (2003–2011)
* Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire (1997–2003)
* Mark Warner of Virginia (2002–2006)

### Federal executive branch officials

* Former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin (1995–1999)

### Other individuals

* Former United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Anthony Zinni (2001–2003)