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Kerry 'will not seek White House' Kerry 'will not seek White House'
(20 minutes later)
John Kerry, who lost to George W Bush in the 2004 US election, will not run for president in 2008, reports say. Senator John Kerry, who lost to George W Bush in 2004, will not run for US president in 2008, reports say.
The Massachusetts senator had been thought to be considering another run, and had kept campaign staff and a fundraising operation in place. The Massachusetts Democrat had been thought to be considering another run, and had kept campaign staff and a fundraising operation in place.
But he would have faced an uphill battle for his party's nomination, given the likely candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.But he would have faced an uphill battle for his party's nomination, given the likely candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Mr Kerry is expected to make a formal announcement in the coming hours.Mr Kerry is expected to make a formal announcement in the coming hours.
He made his decision only in the past day, reports say.
He lost to Mr Bush by a margin of 51% to 48% in 2004, upsetting many Democrats who thought the president was beatable.
Damaging comment
Senator Kerry has been actively campaigning for other Democratic candidates over the last year, raising money and making campaign appearances, leading many to believe he was planning to run again in 2008.
But he made what he called a "botched joke" in the waning days of November's mid-terms campaign, appearing to suggest that people who did not do well in school ended up as soldiers in Iraq.
He apologised and said he had been intending to criticise President Bush "for getting us stuck in Iraq", but the comment garnered such negative publicity that Mr Kerry kept a low profile in the wake of it.
At least a dozen candidates have begun making preparations for a White House bid in 2008.
Former First Lady, Senator Hillary Clinton, is among the highest-profile of them, and insiders say her fundraising ability will make it difficult for other candidates to compete.