Wesley Clark 2004 presidential campaign
Wesley Clark for President | |
---|---|
Campaign | U.S. presidential election, 2004 |
Candidate | Wesley Clark U.S. Army General (1966–2000) |
Affiliation | Democratic Party |
Status | Withdrew on February 11, 2004 |
The 2004 presidential campaign of Wesley Clark, a retired U.S. Army general who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACE) from 1997 to 2000, officially began on September 17, 2003. A movement to draft Clark for the Democratic nomination began in April 2003, and was led by activists who felt Clark's military service and criticism of the War in Iraq made him a strong candidate.[1][2] Prior to announcing his campaign, Clark was not known to have publicly identified with either party.[3]
Clark's candidacy was met with strong early support among Democrats, with polling taken in fall 2003 showing Clark as a leading candidate for the nomination.[4] However, after losing several crucial early primary states, Clark ended up dropping out of the race on February 11, 2004. On February 13, 2004, Clark endorsed John Kerry at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin.[5]
Background
Wesley Clark stated that he began to truly define his politics only after his military retirement in 2000 around the 2000 presidential election that would give George W. Bush the presidency. Clark had a conversation with Condoleezza Rice, where she told him that the war in Kosovo would have never taken place under a Bush administration, as they adhered more to realpolitik.
Clark found such an administration unsettling, as he had been selected for the SACEUR position because he believed more in the interventionist policies of the Clinton administration. He said he would see it as a sign that things were "starting to go wrong" with American foreign policy if Bush was elected.[6]
Preparations
Clark met with a group of wealthy
A "
Clark spent time during these early stages of the draft movement deciding whether to run, a decision he said was based heavily on deciding whether to expose his family to a presidential campaign. His wife, Gert, said she was "initially ... not delighted about it", but later changed her mind after hearing their son Wesley Clark, Jr. say that "things have to change, and we're willing to do it. And I want my son to grow up in a different world."
Announcement
Clark announced his candidacy for the
Campaign platform
Clark, coming from a non-political background, had no position papers to define his agenda for the public. Once in the campaign, however, several volunteers established a network of connections with the media, and Clark began to explain his stances on a variety of issues.
Clark told
Clark also proposed a global effort to strengthen American relations with other nations, reviewing the
Clark had testified before the
Clark testified before this committee again in 2005,[21] a hearing Dana Milbank of The Washington Post characterized as having a "different tune" as some of Clark's 2002 testimony that had been portrayed by some committee members as "fuzzy stuff" and "dumb clichés" had proven itself true in the ensuing two and a half years.[22]
Campaign developments
This section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2014) |
Clark's loyalty to the Democratic Party was questioned by some as soon as he entered the race. Senator
Some, such as Clark's biography writer Antonia Felix,
Another media incident started during the New Hampshire primary September 27, 2003, when Clark was asked by
Several polls from September to November 2003 showed Clark leading the Democratic field of candidates or as a close second to
Withdrawal
Although Clark performed reasonably well in later primaries, such as a tie for third place with Edwards in the
Key results
Primary Contest | Place | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Iowa | 7th | 0% |
New Hampshire | 3rd | 13% |
Arizona | 2nd | 27% |
Delaware | 5th | 10% |
Missouri | 4th | 4% |
New Mexico | 2nd | 21% |
North Dakota | 2nd | 24% |
Oklahoma | 1st | 30% |
South Carolina | 4th | 7% |
Michigan | 5th | 7% |
Washington | 5th | 3% |
Maine | 5th | 4% |
Tennessee | 3rd | 23% |
Virginia | 3rd | 9% |
Source[34] |
- Clark won the contest (Oklahoma)
- Clark placed 2nd or 3rd in the contest (Virginia, Tennessee, North Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona, New Hampshire)
- Clark placed below third in the contest (Maine, Washington, Michigan, South Carolina, Missouri, Delaware, Iowa)
Notable endorsements
U.S. Senators
- Senator Max Baucus of Montana
- Senator Ernest Hollings of South Carolina
- Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas
- Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas
- Former Senator and 1972 presidential nominee George McGovern of South Dakota
- Former Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin
- Former Senator David Pryor of Arkansas
- Former Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas
U.S. Representatives
- Representative Artur Davis of Alabama
- Representative Marion Berry of Arkansas
- Representative Vic Snyder of Arkansas
- Representative Mike Ross of Arkansas
- Representative Mike Thompson of California
- Representative Sanford Bishop of Georgia
- Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois
- Representative Bill Jefferson of Louisiana
- Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota
- Representative Gene Taylor of Mississippi
- Representative Steve Israel of New York
- Representative Charles Rangel of New York
- Representative Anthony Weiner of New York
- Representative Lincoln Davis of Tennessee
- Representative Martin Frost of Texas
- Representative Solomon Ortiz of Texas
- Representative Charlie Stenholm of Texas
- Representative Jim Matheson of Utah
Governors
- Former governor Joe Frank Harris of Georgia
- Former governor Jim Hodges of South Carolina
- Former governor Don Siegelman of Alabama
- Former Jim Florio of New Jersey
Former Executive Branch officials
- Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin
- Former United States Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor
- Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and Mayor of Atlanta Andrew Young
- Former United States Secretary of the Navy John Dalton
Other officeholders
- Former mayor David Dinkins of New York City
- Former mayor Ed Koch of New York City
- Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton of Wisconsin
- Former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Carolyn Warner
- State Senator Creigh Deeds of Virginia
Celebrities
- Filmmaker Michael Moore of Michigan
- Singer
References
- ^ a b Archived Clark bio from his 2004 campaign site and Clark for President. Clark For President — P.O. Box 2959, Little Rock, AR 72203. This version is from the Internet Archive on December 5, 2003.
- ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ a b "In His Own Words". The Washington Post, October 19, 2003.
- ^ "Clark Bolts to Front of Democratic Field". Gallup.com. 2003-09-24. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ a b Wes Clark Endorses John Kerry by Wesley Clark on February 13, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
- ^ "The Last Word: Wesley Clark from Newsweek. July 14, 2003.
- ^ a b "To Find Party, General Marched to His Own Drummer," The New York Times, October 5, 2003.
- ^ Felix, pp. 190–191.
- ^ a b "Draft Clark 2004 for President Committee Files with FEC," US Newswire, June 18, 2003.
- ^ Felix, pp. 191–193.
- ^ Gertrude Clark interview on C-SPAN's "American Journal," January 25, 2004.
- ^ Felix, pp. 195–196.
- ^ Clark's Announcement speech in Little Rock by Wesley K. Clark hosted on Clark04 on September 17, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
- ^ "Wesley Clark Raises More than $3.5M in Fortnight," Forbes, October 6, 2003.
- ^ Felix, pp. 196–197.
- ^ The Clark Community Network from WesPAC — Securing America Archived September 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ Case Studies: Draft Wesley Clark Archived June 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine by Grassroots Enterprises. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ Felix, pp. 197–199.
- ^ Clark's 2002 testimony (warning, large file, may be slow to load), from the House Armed Services Committee on September 26, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2007
- ^ RNC's Gillespie Gets It Wrong on Clark and Iraq from FactCheck.org on January 22, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ Clark's 2005 testimony from WesPAC — Securing America Archived September 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine on April 6, 2005. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ Same Committee, Same Combatants, Different Tune by Dana Milbank for The Washington Post on April 7, 2005. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
- ^ Was Wesley Clark a Republican? from FactCheck.org on January 14, 2004. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ The Chameleon Candidate by Doug Ireland for the LA Weekly on September 25, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ Felix, p. 199, "Clark learned that his intellectual style of considering an issue from every angle and ruminating on several alternatives would not serve him well in the sound-bite format of modern political rhetoric."
- ^ Wesley Clark: Mending our torn country into a nation again by Jerseycoa on the DemocraticUnderground on January 19, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
- ^ "Clark Says He Would Have Voted for War," The New York Times, September 19, 2003.
- ^ "Clark Under Sharp Attack in Democratic Debate," The Washington Post, October 10, 2003.
- ^ transcript of remarks
- ^ Felix, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Clark Campaigns at Light Speed Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine by Brian McWilliams on September 30, 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
- ^ Clark Communications Director questions John Edwards retaining Hugh Shelton by Matt Bennett, hosted on Clark04.com on November 11, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ Felix, pp. 203–206.
- ^ CNN. "Election 2004".
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has generic name (help) - ^ "Madonna Endorses Democrat Wesley Clark for President". MTV.