Political drafts are used to encourage or compel a certain person to enter a political race, by demonstrating a significant groundswell of support for the candidate. A write-in campaign may also be considered a draft campaign. A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the persons name. ...

America has seen many draft movements in its history. Maybe the most notable draft campaign was that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Draft Eisenhower movements sprung up in both parties in 1948 and again during 1951. Eisenhower did his best to ignore them. Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American soldier and politician. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

In late December, then President Harry S Truman wrote to ask General Eisenhower, "I wish you would let me know what you intend to do," and General Eisenhower replied, "I do not feel that I have any duty to seek a political nomination." Soon after, General Eisenhower reconciled his commitment not to seek a political office by taking the position that he would be personally compelled to respond if called to a higher duty. For the victim of Mt. ...

During the Democratic National Convention in 1952, Adlai Stevenson was drafted as a nominee, in spite of his earlier statements about his lack of a desire to run for office, and eventually overcame Estes Kefauver as a favorite of the delegates after three rounds of voting. 1952 (MCMLII) was a [[leap year starting on Tueday] (link will take you to calendar). ... Portrait of Adlai Stevenson Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and statesman, noted for his skill in debate and oratory. ... Estes Kefauver Carey Estes Kefauver (July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. ...

Henry Cabot Lodge forced the issue by entering Eisenhower in the New Hampshire Republican primary without Eisenhower's authorization. General Eisenhower won all the Republican delegates and soundly defeated Senator Robert Taft of Ohio (who had campaigned intensively in the state) by a vote of 50% to 38%. Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 46th 24,239 km² 110 km 305 km 3. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... For the current Governor of Ohio, see Bob Taft. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 355 km 355 km 8. ...

After the primary win, Eisenhower told a reporter, "Any American who would have that many other Americans pay him that compliment would be proud or he would not be an American." Convinced of being called to a higher duty, he announced his candidacy the next day.

Most recently, the candidacy of General Wesley Clark, came from result of a draft. Clark, who had recently retired from the military and took a job as a CNN military analyst, had no intention of running until multiple "Draft Clark" sites came up on the web urging Clark to run. Over about a two month period the draft became a nationwide effort due to TV coverage and the use of the internet. In September 2003, Clark said he would make up his mind on whether to accept the draft or not in the near future. Soon after that statement, Clark announced his candidacy in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, citing that he was pulled in by the people to run for the presidency. Wesley Clark Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army. ... The Cable News Network, usually referred to as CNN, is a cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld [1] [2] (although the latter is not currently recognized in CNNs official history). ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for September, 2003. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

There are current draft campaigns for Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. While both Gore and Clinton have said repeatedly they would not seek the nomination, neither has disclaimed interest in the idea of a draft. Albert Arnold Gore Jr. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ...

Also mentionable are the unsuccessful draft campaigns of Gary Hart (former Colorado Senator) and Steve Jobs (Founder & CEO of Apple Computer). Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (born Gary Hartpence on November 28, 1936) is a politician and lawyer from the state of Colorado. ... Steven Paul Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is the CEO of Apple Computer and one of the leading figures in the computer industry. ...

Currently, a group of citizens is trying to draft Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for president (going so far as to buy television and radio time in Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Florida). Though Dr. Rice has publicly declined to run, the groundswell of support for this cause has continued to gain notoriety in national and international media. The most prominent "Draft Rice" group, called Americans for Rice, claims more than 4000 active members in the US and abroad, and is already showing up at major events, organizing local cell groups, and making the preparations to put Dr. Rice's name on the ballot in 2008. Rice-supporters are counting on Dr. Rice's sense of patriotism and loyalty to country to accept the call of the American people to run for president. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th and current United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 26th 145,743 km² 320 km 500 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 46th 24,239 km² 110 km 305 km 3. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 19th 183 272 km² 340 km 545 km 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 260 km 800 km 17. ... A variation of a campaign button being put out by Americans For Rice. ... Americans For Rice is a 527 political organization dedicated to drafting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. ...

External links

• Draft Barbara Boxer for President in 2008 Movement
• Draft Wesley Clark Online
• Vote Hillary Online
• Draft Gore Online or Al Gore Support Center
• Americans for Dr. Rice
• Run Rice 2008
• Draft Mark Warner for President 2008