The Democratic Campaign
Some notable events in the race for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination:
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Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, John Kerry's running mate in 2004, announces he is running for president again.
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Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd announces he will run for president during an interview on the "Imus in the Morning" radio show.
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Barack Obama launches his campaign by forming a presidential exploratory committee, saying voters are hungry for change. "I certainly didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago," he says.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton says she's running for president. "I'm in, and I'm in to win," she announces in a videotaped message on her Web site.
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Delaware Sen. Joe Biden announces his candidacy, and expresses regret for referring to Obama as "articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
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Edwards reveals that his wife Elizabeth's breast cancer has returned and spread to her bone. He says his presidential campaign "goes on strongly."
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Obama and Clinton release numbers showing they both raised about $26 million in the first quarter of 2007.
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New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announces his campaign, vowing to repair the "ravages" of the Bush administration.
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News surfaces of an internal Clinton campaign memo that urges her to bypass Iowa's caucuses because it is her weakest state. She disavows the memo.
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Obama reports raising $33 million during the second quarter of 2007 for his campaign, compared to $27 million for Clinton.
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Clinton tells CBS's Katie Couric that despite a strong challenge for the nomination from Obama, "It will be me." She adds: "I think everybody should just take a deep breath and say, 'Let's go to the finish line,' which will probably be midnight West Coast time on Feb. 5."
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The top three finishers in the Iowa caucuses are Obama, Edwards, then Clinton. Also-rans Dodd and Biden drop out of the race.
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With Obama surging toward the New Hampshire primary, Clinton chokes with emotion as she tells voters, "This is very personal for me. It's not just political. It's not just public."
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Clinton pulls out a surprise victory over Obama in New Hampshire. "I found my own voice," Clinton tells voters. Edwards places a distant third.
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Bill Richardson ends his presidential campaign after poor finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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Bill Clinton complains while campaigning in South Carolina that Obama's campaign put out a "hit job" on him. Democratic leaders urge Clinton to tone down his rhetoric.
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Obama wins South Carolina.
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Edwards drops out of presidential race after his poor showing in South Carolina.
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Year-end campaign finance reports show Clinton raised $107 million in 2007 and Obama raised $102 million. But $20 million of Clinton's take was reserved for use in the general election, compared to $6 million that Obama had to hold for the general election. Obama reports raising $32 million in January, compared to $14 million for Clinton.
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Super Tuesday: 22 states hold Democratic nominating contests, creating a virtual national primary that renders a split decision in the delegate hunt. Altogether, Obama won the popular vote in 13 states, Clinton, nine plus American Samoa.
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Clinton's campaign reveals that she loaned her campaign $5 million in the lead-up to Super Tuesday.
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Obama enjoys three-state sweep, winning the Louisiana primary and caucuses in Washington state and Nebraska.
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Clinton replaces campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle with longtime aide Maggie Williams in shake-up. Obama wins Maine caucuses.
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Obama wins Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia.
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Obama adds Wisconsin and Hawaii to his winning streak.
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Obama wins the Democrats Abroad global primary.
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On a night that failed to clarify the Democratic race, Clinton won primaries in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, halting Obama's winning streak. Obama won in Vermont and remained in the lead in the delegate count.
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Obama wins the Wyoming caucuses.
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Obama wins Mississippi primary.
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Obama makes a major address on race relations in America in response to past comments by Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
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Clinton wins the Pennsylvania primary.
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The candidates split the day's two contests, with Obama winning North Carolina primary and Clinton winning the Indiana primary.
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It's another split as Clinton wins Kentucky by more than a 2-to-1 margin and Obama wins Oregon by a comfortable margin.
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Clinton cites the 1968 assassination of Sen. Robert F.
Kennedy in defending her decision to keep running despite long odds of winning. Amid criticism, she apologizes.
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After video surfaces of a visiting priest mocking Clinton from the pulpit, Obama resigns his membership in Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Meanwhile, Democratic Party leaders agree to seat the disputed Michigan and Florida delegations with half-votes at the summer convention, a compromise that pushes Obama closer to the nomination.
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Clinton wins a lopsided but largely symbolic victory in Puerto Rico, garnering roughly two-thirds of the votes in the U.S. territory as she continued a strong run through the last primaries that came too late to make a dent in Obama's overwhelming delegate lead.
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Obama secures the support of enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. He and Clinton once again split primary results, with Obama winning Montana and Clinton winning South Dakota.
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Word leaks that Hillary Clinton is set to end her campaign. In a letter to supporters titled "I Want You To Know," Clinton said she would host an event in Washington on June 7 to thank her backers and express her support for Barack Obama and Democratic Party unity.
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Clinton formally suspended her campaign and endorsed Obama. "The way to continue our fight now to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States," she said in Washington.
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Obama chooses Sen. Joe Biden, the six-term senator from Delaware, as his running mate. Biden, 65, balances the ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.
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Obama accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president, promising change for America. At the DNC in Denver, the Illinois senator made a historic speech, becoming the first African-American to be the nominee from a major U.S. political party.
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Obama wins the presidency, defeating Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., making history in the process by becoming the first African-American to be elected president.
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Credits:
CBS/AP
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