Graham's name had a long presence in Presidential and Vice Presidential politics, due to his popularity as Governor and Senator. In 1984 there was a movement to draft him for Vice President on a ticket headed by Walter Mondale, but this effort finally went for nothing. He was also seriously considered by three successive presidential nominees as their running-mate, each time appearing on their finalist list. He also harbored Presidential ambitions for years. Graham's relatively low-key national profile was significantly raised after the September 11 attacks. He served as a chairman of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and had a steady stream of TV appearances during the War on Terrorism, soon becoming one of the best known politicians. He also represented a key swing state, Florida, which decided the 2000 presidential election results. Winning Florida four years later might possibly give Democrats the White House. Graham had won re-election in 1998 in a landslide, and had never lost any election before. Graham's potential nomination was considered by many as appealing, due to his moderate stance. He also would appeal to the Democratic core due to his opposition to the early Iraq War, and his pro-environmental record. Senator Graham held a reputation as a bright man in politics, with a good sense of humor, and he was never implicated in any scandal. Among his political cons, however, were his cited lack of charisma, his relatively older age and recent medical problems.
Campaign
His candidacy did not find ground, overshadowed by earlier front-runners. He performed very poorly in polls, regularly taking last place. He also cited huge fundraising problems. Howard Dean took the role of key opposition against the Iraqi war among Democratic candidates, even if Graham had been initially predicted for this role. He finally officially dropped out on October 6, 2003, the first major candidate to do so, and did not win a single vote in the primaries. Graham was mentioned as a possible running-mate for John Kerry, an eventual nominee, but the Massachusetts senator finally selected John Edwards. Graham decided to not seek a fourth Senate term and retired from active politics on January 3, 2005.
