Thomas James Vilsack is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States secretary of agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. A member of the Democratic Party,he served as the 40th governor of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. During his tenure,Iowa experienced a peak in new CAFO construction.
Raymond H. LaHood is an American politician who served as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives (1982–1983) and United States House of Representatives (1995–2009).
James Enos Clyburn is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He previously served as House Majority Whip between 2007 and 2011 and between 2019 and 2023. Clyburn also served as House assistant Democratic leader from 2011 to 2019 and again from 2023 until he stepped down in 2024.
Thomas Chester Edwards is an American politician who was a United States Representative from Texas,representing a district based in Waco,from 1991 to 2011. Previously,he served in the Texas Senate from 1983 to 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Edwards was on Barack Obama's vice presidential shortlist in 2008.
Marvin Henry "Mickey" Edwards is an American politician who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives,serving Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 1977 to 1993.
From January 3 to June 3,2008,voters of the Democratic Party chose their nominee for president in the 2008 United States presidential election. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was selected as the nominee,becoming the first African American to secure the presidential nomination of any major political party in the United States. However,due to a close race between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York,the contest remained competitive for longer than expected;neither candidate received enough pledged delegates from state primaries and caucuses to achieve a majority,without endorsements from unpledged delegates (superdelegates).
The following is a timeline of major events leading up to and immediately following the United States presidential election of 2008. The election was the 56th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 4,2008,but its significant events and background date back to about 2002. The Democratic Party nominee,Senator Barack Obama of Illinois,defeated the Republican Party's nominee,Senator John McCain of Arizona.
The 2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucus occurred on January 3,and was the state caucuses of the Iowa Democratic Party. It was the first election for the Democrats of the 2008 presidential election. Also referred to as "the First in the Nation Caucus," it was the first election of the primary season on both the Democratic and Republican sides. Of the eight major Democratic presidential candidates,then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama of Illinois received the most votes and was ultimately declared the winner of the Iowa Democratic Caucus of 2008,making him the first African American to win the caucus and the first African American to win a primary state since Jesse Jackson in 1988. Former U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina came in second place and then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York finished third,though Clinton received more delegates than Edwards. Campaigning had begun as early as two years before the event.
Elesha L. Gayman is a former Iowa State Representative from the 84th District. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. Gayman served on several committees in the Iowa House - the Agriculture committee;the Appropriations committee;the Education committee;and the Public Safety committee. She was vice-chair of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
Stephanie Cutter is an American political consultant. She served as an advisor to President Barack Obama during his first presidential term,and was deputy campaign manager for his 2012 re-election campaign. She previously worked in campaign and communications roles for other prominent Democrats including Ted Kennedy,John Kerry,and Michelle Obama. The New York Times described her as "a popular but polarizing face of (Obama's) campaign",and a "soldier who says the things the candidate can’t say."
James Bradley Eldridge is an American politician and lawyer. He serves as a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Middlesex and Worcester District. Eldridge previously served three terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives,where he sat on the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business,the Joint Committee on Election Laws,and the Joint Committee on Public Service.
Joe Biden,a longtime U.S. senator from Delaware,began his 2008 presidential campaign when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States on the January 7,2007,edition of Meet the Press. He officially became a candidate on January 31,2007,after filing papers with the Federal Election Commission.
The 2008 presidential campaign of Dennis Kucinich,House Representative of Ohio and former mayor of Cleveland,began on December 12,2006 when he announced that he would seek the nomination for the Democratic Party to run for President of the United States. Although a Democratic candidate,he was not included in the New Hampshire debates on January 4,2008 or the South Carolina debates on January 21,2008 because of his poor showings in the Iowa caucuses and the polls.
The 2008 presidential campaign of Bill Richardson,New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced his candidacy on January 21,2007,for President of the United States on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos,by virtue of forming a presidential exploratory committee.
The 2008 United States presidential election in Iowa took place on November 4,2008,as part of the 2008 United States presidential election. Voters chose seven representatives,or electors to the Electoral College,who voted for president and vice president.
Barack Obama assumed office as President of the United States on January 20,2009,and his term ended on January 20,2017. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Yohannes Abraham is an American government official who is the Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. His previous positions included Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs during the Obama Administration and Executive Secretary of the United States National Security Council during the Biden Administration.
Matthew B. Rinker is an American politician and insurance agent who has represented the 99th district of the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023,which consists of parts of northeastern Lee County and southern Des Moines County,including all of Burlington and West Burlington. He is a member of the Republican Party.
