Fractured Democratic Candidates Quiz

Answer: Senator John Kerry

Senator Kerry of Massachusetts is a Yale graduate and a highly-decorated Vietnam War veteran. He began serving in the U.S. Senate in 1984. He worked for veterans' issues, public education, and campaign finance reform. Kerry has two daughters and three step-sons.

Answer: General Wesley Clark

A highly-decorated officer, General Clark served for 34 years in the U.S. Army, rising to the post of NATO Supreme Allied Commander. NATO forces under his command saved 1.5 million Albanians from "ethnic cleansing." Clark was a Rhodes scholar and earned a master's degree in philosophy, economics, and political science from Oxford.

After he retired from the Army, General Clark became an investment banker. He has one son, Wesley.

Answer: Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun

Born in 1947, CMB served as U.S. senator from Illinois (1992-98) and as ambassador to New Zealand (1999-2001). Prior to beginning her presidential campaign she taught law and political science. Ms. Braun's election to the Senate set several records: She was the first woman to represent Illinois in the Senate, the first African American female senator, and the first African American Democratic senator. Earlier in her political career, Braun was an Illinois state legislator.

She has one son, Matthew.

Answer: Senator Bob Graham

Born in Florida in 1936, Bob Graham served as a Florida state legislator before his election to the governorship in 1978. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986. For many years Graham performed what he called "workdays" among his constituents. He worked a day at a time as a firefighter, a busboy, a park ranger, and so on.

The Grahams have four daughters and ten grandchildren. Graham quit the race in the fall of 2003.

Answer: Congressman Dick Gephardt

Gephardt hails from St. Louis, Missouri. He represented a congressional district there for over 25 years. During the Clinton presidency, as House Democratic Leader, Gephardt helped to pass the President's economic plan. Congressman Gephardt supported organized labor, family farms, affirmative action, and raising the minimum wage.
He and his wife have three children.

Answer: Reverend Al Sharpton

Reverend Al Sharpton of New York supported voting rights for citizens of the District of Columbia, affirmative action, the ERA (a Constitutional amendment affirming women's rights), as well as a Constitutional amendment that make health care a "human right" in the United States.

Answer: Congressman Dennis Kucinich

When Dennis Kucinich was growing up, he and his family lived in 21 different homes (including a couple of cars) before he was 17. At 31 Kucinich was elected to the mayoralty of Cleveland, Ohio. At that time (1977) he was the youngest mayor of a U.S. major city. Perhaps the most liberal or progressive Democratic candidate, Kucinich was closely associated with organized labor and environmental groups such as the Sierra Club.

He was head of the Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives and favored universal "single-payer" health care.

He was the only vegan in Congress.

Answer: Senator Joe Lieberman

Lieberman was of course Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential election. As a young man he led a group of students to fight for voting rights for Southern black people. He was the only Jewish candidate in the 2003-4 race for the Democratic nomination (although Wesley Clark was born to a Jewish father).

Besides serving as a U.S. senator from Connecticut, Lieberman was that state's attorney general. He and his wife Hadassah have four children.

Answer: Governor Howard Dean

A medical doctor who once shared a practice with his wife, Dr. Judy Steinberg, Dean became governor of Vermont in 1991. Although opponents sometimes painted him as a liberal, his website's bio called him a moderate. He worked to improve healthcare and the environment in Vermont.

Answer: Senator John Edwards

The first in his family to attend college, Edwards became a lawyer and represented injured individuals fighting insurance companies. He was elected as a U.S. senator representing North Carolina in 1998. He and his wife had four children, but one died in 1996.

NOTE: The "interesting info" I've used comes from the candidates' own websites. If you have anything to add that I can confirm by fact checking, please send it along.