John Kerry is currently in his fourth term as the junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, serving alongside Ted Kennedy.
Perhaps best known as an anti-war Vietnam Veteran, John Kerry won three purple hearts, then was a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War when he returned home from his U.S. Navy service.
Before entering the U.S. Senate, he served as a District Attorney and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts under Michael Dukakis, also a future Democratic Presidential nominee.
A champion of many liberal causes for a quarter century, John Kerry is currently the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and has served on many of the governing body's most powerful committees in the past.
As the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, he was defeated in the 2004 presidential election by the Republican incumbent President George W. Bush. He has been criticized for losing that race as much as Bush has been credited for winning it.
Despite his defeat, John Kerry did earn more popular votes than any Democratic candidate in history.
NATIONAL[NOTE: Figures above are averages of the 3-6 most recent surveys in each area. Updated June 17]
