Democrats are gearing up for a run at the White House in 2004. Democrats view the nomination largely as open to anyone who cares to run and already a wide range of candidates has emerged. Some have declared their intent to campaign for nomination already, while others are simply likely contenders.

With so many 2004 hopefuls in the running this early, the contest for nomination will no doubt be an exciting event. But with so many names floating around the political scene, it can be difficult to know who's who. What follows is a description of nine of the most likely competitors for nomination.

SEN. JOE BIDEN

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and, as such, his profile has been raised significantly by frequent guest spots on TV news shows since the Sept. 11 attacks. Biden is widely considered to be the Democrats' top foreign relations expert.

Biden made one previous go at the presidency in 1988. His campaign ended early, however, after accusations that he plagiarized some of his speech material from other candidates, including biographical statements.

Biden has established a centrist voting record in the Senate. Biden is up for re-election in 2002 and faces no major opponents. A recent Zogby American poll gave Biden only 1 percent of Democratic voters and leaners. However, Biden is a tried-and-true veteran politician with a broad base of Democratic admirers, and could make a strong showing despite his current lack of name recognition.

Regarding his potential 2004 bid Biden said, "Assuming I'm re-elected [in 2002], I'll take a look at it then." Biden may enter the race sometime following November 2002.

BILL BRADLEY

Former Sen. Bill Bradley ran against Al Gore for the 2000 Democratic presidential nomination in a heated contest. Bradley was forced to bow out of the race early on, grudgingly giving his support to vice president Gore.

Bradley has not committed himself to running in 2004 but has left the door open. He has notably been visiting the important caucus state of Iowa.

In recent polls, Bradley has made a strong showing, placing in the top five most popular candidates, raking in between 10 percent of Democratic support in a Marist College poll. However, Bradley may have more of a battle on his hands this time around as a much wider field of Democratic candidates vies for media attention.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE

South Dakota Sen. Thomas Daschle currently holds the reigns of the Senate as the majority leader.

Viewed as more liberal than many of the other potential Democratic candidates, if Daschle can take advantage of the limelight as majority leader to show off his leadership capability, rally popular support for his political agenda, and familiarize himself with voters, Daschle could become a big-time contender in 2004.

Daschle's strength lies in the issues of education, environmental protection, health care, senior citizens' issues, election reform and agriculture. These strengths lend themselves well to a White House bid as he can challenge conservatives on some of their issues and retain more of the far-left voters, many of whom deserted the Democratic cause in 2000, opting instead to support Ralph Nader.

Polling gives him around 7 percent of the vote, placing him among the top five contenders in Zogby American and CNN/Time polls.

One possible roadblock to Daschle's viability as a candidate is a law recently passed by the South Dakota legislature that prohibits anyone from pursuing multiple federal offices at once. Daschle will be up for re-election in 2004 and will have to choose to either run for re-election to the Senate or join the race as a presidential hopeful.

GOV. HOWARD DEAN

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is not running for a seventh term as governor. He is opting instead to devote his energies to a 2004 campaign for the presidency, traveling to states that are viewed as key to the 2004 election.

Dean signed the controversial Civil Union Bill that granted recognition to gay and lesbian marriages, and is often touted by his supporters as a champion of health care.

Dean is not very likely to win nomination, thus far not registering in the polls whatsoever, but he is almost certain to run.

SEN. JOHN R. EDWARDS

North Carolina's up-and-coming political star, Sen. John Edwards, is serving his first term in the Senate after being elected in a surprising 1998 upset.

A multimillionaire trial lawyer, Edwards is energetically pursuing the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, making numerous political trips to Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, California, New York and other states deemed crucial in 2004.

Edwards' political ideology could be labeled liberally populist, and re-election in 2004 could be a battle for Edwards in traditionally conservative North Carolina, providing Edwards with more incentive to have a go at the presidency.

Edwards makes no effort to hide his presidential ambitions and will likely be an early entry into the 2004 contest. He is currently favored for nomination by 2 percent of the Democrats polled in an CNN/TIME survey.

REP. DICK GEPHARDT

Missouri Rep. and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt is extremely well-connected and one of the best fund-raisers in the Democratic camp. Gephardt has been elected representative 12 times, giving him 24 years of experience in the House of Representatives.

Gephardt draws from a broad base of Democratic support, including union members and traditional liberals.

Gephardt made one unsuccessful presidential bid in 1988 and considered running in 2000 but ultimately decided not to declare candidacy.

The network of support and connections available to Gephardt offer him an ideal platform from which to campaign; coupled with his name recognition and ability to raise money, Gephardt could be a force to be reckoned with in 2004, if he decides to run. Polls rank Gephardt just behind Daschle and Bradley, reaping 5 percent of a recent Zogby American poll.

AL GORE

Al Gore is the forerunning Democratic nominee hopeful for 2004. While he has not announced any intention to run as yet, Gore dominates the polls. Zogby American and CNN/TIME polls indicate that he commands anywhere between one-third and nearly half the Democratic backing for nominee in 2004.

Gore disappeared to Europe in 2001 following the contested election of 2000. He has reappeared in 2002 as a visiting college professor and speaker on the national circuit.

With entrenched Democrats already having printed "Re-Elect Gore and Lieberman 2004" posters, buttons, and the like, the nomination could very well be Gore's for the asking. However, many in his party are hoping Gore will step aside and let another candidate take a shot at the White House.

REP. JESSE JACKSON JR.

Perhaps following the lead of his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been mentioned as a potential candidate in 2004.

Though Jackson is a long shot for nomination this time around, engaging in the debates, campaigning, and raising awareness of his strong issues will be a useful practice for a more realistic nomination attempt in the future. A dry run in 2004 will also be an important step in raising his national profile.

Jackson may decide not to announce his candidacy and instead opt to pursue the position of mayor of Chicago in 2003.

SEN. JOHN KERRY

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry began his political career in 1971 as one of the founders of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Kerry then ran unsuccessfully for representative to Congress in 1972, but after law school and a stint as a prosecutor, Kerry was elected lieutenant governor to Mike Dukakis in 1982.

In 1984, Kerry reappeared on the national scene, elected as a senator. In the Senate, Kerry has been a liberal voter, though he supports free trade. Kerry has supported permanent normalized trade relations with China and led the battle on the floor to prevent an investigation into the Chinese history on human rights.

Kerry has stated his intention to run for president in 2004, . As the richest senator and with solid name recognition in important New Hampshire, Kerry will likely make a strong start. Kerry pulled in around 3 percent of an April 22 Zogby American poll.

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman made it big on the national political scene as Gore's running mate in 2000. Since losing the closest national election in U.S. history, Lieberman has done his best to keep his name circulating for a possible 2004 presidential bid.

Known as a somewhat of a conservative Democrat, Lieberman has frequented important 2004 campaign stops like California, Florida and New York and has kept up ties with his most loyal national base of support, the Jewish community.

Lieberman has co-sponsored a gun control bill with John McCain, supported the President George W. Bush's faith-based initiatives, and criticized the Bush administration's environmental and energy policies strongly.

Lieberman's performance in the polls has been in step with Bradley and Daschle, bringing home a solid 8 percent of the polled Democrats in a April 11 CNN/Time poll.

If Gore announces his own candidacy by the end of 2002, Lieberman says he will drop out of the race. If Gore runs, Lieberman is likely to land himself on the Gore ticket as vice president once again.

OTHER CANDIDATES

Other potential candidates include Hillary Clinton. While Clinton has said that she will not campaign for the presidency in 2004, she similarly denied her intent to run in New York for a seat in the federal Senate before entering that race. Clinton could also make a ballot appearance as a candidate for vice president.

Others mentioned as Democratic possibilities for 2004 are Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, California Gov. Gray Davis, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Massachusetts Sen. Bob Reich, New York civil rights activist Al Sharpton, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, and Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone.

None of these possible contenders are likely to win nomination this time around, but running does raise a politician's national recognition. Recent nominees who lost their first nomination attempts include Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., Gore and Bob Dole.