2002
- May 31 – Vermont Governor Howard Dean forms a presidential exploratory committee.
- December 1 – John F. Kerry, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, announces his plans to form an exploratory committee for a possible 2004 Presidential run on NBC's Meet The Press. Kerry anticipates a formal announcement "down the road some months".
- December 16 – Former U.S. Vice President and 2000 U.S. Presidential candidate Al Gore announces on the CBS program 60 Minutes that he will not seek election to the Presidency in 2004. Gore had recently wrapped up a nationwide book tour, as well as an appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live, and had been widely expected to run. U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut, Gore's 2000 Vice Presidential running mate, had previously promised not to run should Gore seek their party's nomination.
Read more about this topic: United States Presidential Election, 2004 Timeline