Senator Barack Obama said he will announce “soon” whether he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008.
The Illinois Democrat refused to confirm a report that he will announce formation of a presidential exploratory committee as early as this week. That step would allow him to begin fund raising and setting up a campaign organization.
“Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk,” Obama, 45, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “I’ve said I’ve been considering it. And we’ll be making an announcement fairly soon.” The first test in the presidential race, the Iowa Caucuses, is a little more than a year away. Five other Democrats already have announced plans to run for the nomination. Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, who also hasn’t announced her intentions, are the top favored candidates in polls of Democratic voters.
Syndicated columnist Robert Novak reported today that Obama will set up an exploratory committee this week. He cited an unnamed Democratic financial contributor with whom Obama discussed the matter. Another unnamed person said Obama’s announcement may come within three weeks, according to Novak’s column in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Democrats who have declared their candidacies are Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut; Delaware Senator Joseph Biden; former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004; former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack; and Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.
Among Republicans, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Senator John McCain have formed exploratory committees, a step that doesn’t necessarily mean a candidate will run.
