Super Tuesday contenders' profiles

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Only a few contenders still stay one month after the presidential race kicked out, and are facing even more fierce competition on Feb. 5, the Super Tuesday when a total of 24 U.S. states and American Samoa hold their presidential primaries or caucuses.

The following are the profiles of five major candidates, two Democrats and three Republicans.

Hillary Rodham Clinton:

The 60 year-old New York two-term Senator has been retaining head of the list in the fundraising and national polls. She emphasizes her White House experience from 1993 to 2001 as the First Lady during the campaign and tries to woo Democratic voters with an universal healthcare insurance program. Although being criticized for voting for Iraq war, she did not make any apology, citing some fault intelligence has misled her to vote.

However, she vowed to immediately start a major troop withdrawal from Iraq should she be elected president.

In addition, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, is considered as an important political asset of hers.

So far, due to her prevalence among white female, elder, Latino and register Democratic voters, Hillary has won two major primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada and gained 232 delegates who are supposed to vote for her at the Democratic nomination convention late August.

Barack Obama:

Born by a Kenya father and an American mother in Hawaii in 1961,the Illinois Senator is vying for the first African-American president in the country. With only a little more than three-year in the Capitol Hill, he was jabbed by rivals as inexperienced and even "naive."

However, by stressing his opposition to the Iraq war from the beginning and promising "changes" to Washington political environment, he has remained in a tie with Clinton.

Obama led the Iowa caucuses and sweep the South Carolina primary, supported by independent, young and black Democratic voters and those who are looking forward to changes and won 158 delegates.

John McCain:

At 71, the Senator from Arizona launched another bid to the White House as the eldest candidates.

With long-term service in the military and then in the Senate, the veteran politician was credited for his experience in defense and foreign affairs.

Because of his moderate attitude towards the issues like abortion and immigration, and his different stance from President George W. Bush's Iraq war policy, McCain is more favorable among moderate Republicans and independent voters, who reversed his "underdog" status at the beginning to a forerunner now.

He has won 97 delegates yielded from his victory in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida primaries.

Mitt Romney:

As the fifth Mormon who sought for presidency in the U.S. history, the former Massachusetts governor, 60, has built up a winning tendency in both of national and local polls.

Despite his controversial religious belief, the Harvard graduate's huge success in business and commendable record in dealing with scandal-tainted Salt Lake City winter Olympics games in 2002, boosts support from many Americans who are expecting better economy and crisis management in the country. He made a U-turn change to his support to abortion and gay rights, courting Republican conservative voters, but was criticized as flip-flap.

After leading the Wyoming, Michigan, Nevada and Maine primaries or caucuses, Romney had 92 delegates in hand.

Mike Huckabee:

The 52-year-old former Arkansas governor has surprisingly won the first race in Iowa but lost his momentum as the race continues.

As a long-term Baptist minister, he has mobilized a large number of conservative voters with his religious beliefs and support for ban on gay marriage and abortion.

Quick wit and humor in his speech and TV debates also won applause. However, with only 29 delegates in hand and restricted campaign fund and staff, he could hardly go far to the nomination convention early September.