Wesley Clark 2004 presidential campaign

See also: 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries and 2004 United States presidential election
Wesley Clark for President
CampaignU.S. presidential election, 2004
CandidateWesley Clark
U.S. Army General
(1966–2000)
AffiliationDemocratic Party
StatusAnnounced: September 17, 2003
Withdrew: February 11, 2004
Website
clark04.com
(archived - February 6, 2004)
Clark supporters

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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ McWilliams, Brian. "Will Clark Dodge the Draft?". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Clark Bolts to Front of Democratic Field". Gallup.com. 2003-09-24. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).