The George W. Bush Years

On September 15, 2003, John Edwards appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and unofficially announced he would be seeking the 2004 Democratic nomination for the presidency of the United States. He was near the end of his six-year term as a U.S. Senator from the state of North Carolina. The following day he made it official by declaring his candidacy at a press conference in his hometown of Robbins. He chose the old Milliken Mill in Robbins as a background for the announcement. He was surrounded by family members and many locals as he declared his intentions.

Edward’s campaign message was focused on bridging income inequality in America. In his first contest, he ran second in the Iowa Caucuses behind Sen. John Kerry. A week later Edwards dropped to fourth in the New Hampshire primary. The North Carolina Senator bounced back a bit later by winning in South Carolina. He was unable to score another victory before Super Tuesday, when Sen. Kerry won 9 out of 10 contests. Edwards announced his withdrawal from the race at a press conference in Raleigh, North Carolina the following day.

On July 6, John Kerry announced John Edwards as his running mate for the Democratic ticket in the 2004 presidential campaign.

This press pass was issued to crews attending the presidential announcement of John Edwards at Robbins, North Carolina on September 13, 2003. It allowed access to the event.