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Candidate Bio
Al Sharpton
Political affiliation:
Democratic Party
Born:
October 3, 1954
Brooklyn, NY
Personal:
Married to singer Kathy Jordan. Two children. Pentecostal.
Occupation:
Minister
Education:
Attended Brooklyn College, 1973-75
Experience:
Candidate for State Senate, 1978; Candidate for US Senate, 1992 & 1994; Candidate for New York City Mayor, 1997. Licensed and ordained a Minister at age 10 ; appointed Junior Pastor of the Washington Temple congregation. Founder & President, National Action Network, 1991-present. Founder, National Youth Movement, 1971. Road Manager for singer James Brown, 1973-80.
On the Issues

Highlights

Sharpton's speech to the Democratic National Convention (6/28/03)
Links and Resources
Web site:
Document al2004.org
Campaign contributors:
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Candidate Pages

Al Sharpton

SNAPSHOT
Al Sharpton was one of only two candidates not named Kerry still in the race by the time Democrats held their national convention in Boston in July 2004. But he pulled out of the race, and was given a prime-time speaking role. Taking 20 minutes to speak, when he was given only 6, Sharpton electrified the delegates with a spirited rebuke of President George W. Bush, in what was a carefully scripted convention that sought to avoid direct attacks on Bush.

Hardly a word about Al Sharpton has been written in the mainstream media without "controversial" being placed before his name. Critics say he's little more than a publicity seeker who straddles the line of right and wrong. Time magazine says Sharpton views the campaign as his chance to displace Rev. Jesse Jackson as the icon of black leadership in America. He's a liberal Democrat who thinks the party's move to the center has come at the expense of the poor and minorities. He first gained national attention in the 1980s for defending Tawanna Brawley, who claimed to the victim of a racial attack. It turned out to be a hoax. Past political aspirations were muted by the 2002 HBO airing of a film showing Sharpton allegedly aggreeing to participate in money laundering for illegal, Mafia-connected cocaine deals; a tape which Sharpton said was an FBI set-up.

Bush's agenda for second term: Iraq, economy
President Bush heads into his second term with the stabilization of Iraq under a democratic government as his top policy goal. But he also has unfinished domestic business, including making his sweeping tax cuts permanent, reforming Social Security, and promoting energy production. Here is a summary of his plans.
Bush "humbled" by victory, and eager to get to work
President Bush won four more years in the White House on Wednesday and pledged to "fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power." John Kerry conceded defeat rather than back an election challenge in make-or-break Ohio. The president spoke before thousands of cheering supporters less than an hour after his vanquished rival conceded defeat.
Kerry concedes; calls for national healing
President Bush won four more years in the White House on Wednesday, pocketing a public concession from Democrat John Kerry that closed out a loud and long campaign fought over the war on terror and the economy. "We cannot win this election," the Massachusetts senator said in an emotional campaign farewell after deciding not to contest Bush's lead in make-or-break Ohio.
Kerry captures Minnesota
John Kerry captured Minnesota Tuesday, keeping alive a 32-year Democratic winning streak despite a major Republican push to deliver the state to President Bush.
KNOW Exit Poll: Presidential vote in Minnesota was referendum on Iraq
Exit poll data suggests John Kerry's victory in Minnesota was more a rejection of President Bush than an affirmation of the Democratic challenger. Read the full exit poll results and listen to voters explain why they voted the way they did.
Decision day: Voters choose between Bush and Kerry with record turnout predicted
President Bush and challenger John Kerry fought to the wire in their long, bitter race for the White House on Tuesday as Americans turned out in droves to choose between their embattled wartime president and a Democrat who vigorously questioned the invasion of Iraq. "I've given it my all," Bush said after voting at a Crawford, Texas, firehouse. Kerry got teary-eyed as he thanked his staff for a campaign's worth of work. "We made the case for change," he said.
Ad spending in presidential race triples that of 2000
The most expensive presidential advertising campaign in history closes Tuesday after eight months with President Bush, Sen. John Kerry, their political parties and allied groups having spent more than $600 million. That's triple the amount spent on TV and radio commercials in 2000. Still, for all the money, the race remains a statistical tie.
Election eve in the battleground states
Observers from several battleground states talk about the presidential campaign and the local factors influencing the vote.
Campaign roundup: One last frenzied day in battleground states
President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry raced through a frenzied last day of campaigning Monday, pressing hard for support in Ohio, Wisconsin and other narrowly divided states in a presidential election still too close to call. Hoping to shore up support in Minnesota, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards began his day with a rally at Hamline University in St. Paul. The state's top two Republicans launched a GOP get-out-the-vote bus tour.
MPR Poll: Minnesota's a tossup
A new Minnesota Public Radio-St. Paul Pioneer Press poll shows the presidential race too close to call in Minnesota, just two days before the election. The poll found 48 percent of respondents say they'll vote for Republican President George W. Bush, while 47 percent say they'll vote for Democrat John Kerry. A different poll, also out Sunday, shows Kerry with an 8-point lead, and a pollster says anything could move the race one way or the other in the last days.
Bush rallies followers at Target Center
President Bush used his latest appearance in Minnesota to urge Republicans to get supporters to the poll on Tuesday and he also appealed to Democrats for support. The Bush-Cheney campaign says 23,000 ticket holder turned out to see President Bush at the Target Center Saturday afternoon.
With presidential candidates elsewhere, surrogates take up Minnesota campaign
It was a rare day with no candidates from the presidential tickets in the state on Friday. Still, surrogates for President Bush and John Kerry showed up to rally supporters. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani campaigned in Minnesota for Bush, while former NATO commander Gen. Wesley Clark stumped for Kerry. The two focused on national security at competing partisan rallies. Meanwhile, Bush and Kerry began wrapping up their campaigns on the last weekend of the campaign season.
Decided voters make their cases
In the presidential election, a great deal has been made of the undecided voters--the relatively tiny portion of the electorate that still hasn't made up its mind about which candidate to support. But what about all those voters who already have made their choice? We invite a group of of Bush and Kerry supporters to make their best cases for the candidate they are backing.
The presidential candidates on the issues
Still not sure exactly where presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry stand on foreign policy, the economy, health care, education and social issues? Minnesota Public Radio has produced a series of special reports that go beyond the stump speeches and look at the actual policies Bush and Kerry are proposing.
Weighing the value of candidate visits
President Bush is due back in Minnesota Saturday. Both the president and Sen. John Kerry have been frequent visitors to Minnesota throughout the presidential campaign. Political scientists say with the election just days away visits by the candidate can boost standings in the polls. They also say the campaign rallies go a long way toward bolstering voter turnout.

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