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91-711: Many of these chapters are organized under the College Democrats of America , the official youth outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee , which claims over 100,000 college and university student members from across the United States . Other chapters are organized under the Young Democrats of America and its College Caucus. Immediately leading up to election day, chapters are expected to participate in get out

182-760: A Swift boat , he sustained three wounds in combat with the Viet Cong , for which he earned three Purple Heart medals. Kerry was also awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Bronze Star Medal for conduct in separate military engagements. After completing his active military service, Kerry returned to the United States and became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War . He gained national recognition as an anti-war activist, serving as

273-494: A spider hole and ran. While the boat's gunner opened fire, wounding the VC in the leg, and while the other boats approached and offered cover fire, Kerry jumped from the boat to pursue the VC insurgent, subsequently killing him and capturing his loaded rocket launcher. Kerry's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander George Elliott, stated to Douglas Brinkley in 2003 that he did not know whether to court-martial Kerry for beaching

364-693: A " propaganda initiative" designed to influence a House vote on a $ 14   million Contra aid package , but Kerry said "I am willing   ... to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas." The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to Moscow to accept a $ 200   million loan the next day, which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $ 27   million aid package six weeks later. Meanwhile, Kerry's staff began their own investigations and, on October 14, issued

455-696: A 1988 convention in Nashville where a constitution for the new CDA was approved and David Hale was elected the first President of the CDA. Following the efforts by Senator Gore and Executive Director Jonathan Miller, and officers Alex Haught, Silas Deane, Matt Pinsker, and Abe Amoros, the DNC accepted the CDA as their official youth outreach branch. Since 1992, CDA has actively promoted the Democratic legislative agenda and Democratic candidates for office. Thanks in part to

546-542: A Jesuit priest and anti-war activist, who went on to defeat Philbin. In February 1972, Kerry's wife bought a house in Worcester , with Kerry intending to run against the 4th district's aging thirteen-term incumbent Democrat, Harold Donohue . The couple never moved in. After Republican Congressman F. Bradford Morse of the neighboring 5th district announced his retirement and then resignation to become Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at

637-457: A book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing." However, his second choice of billet was on a river patrol boat, or " PBR ", which at the time was serving a more dangerous duty on the rivers of Vietnam. During the night of December 2 and early morning of December 3, 1968, Kerry

728-472: A book questioning Kerry's service record and his military awards. The group included several members of Kerry's unit, such as Larry Thurlow, who commanded a swift boat alongside of Kerry's, and Stephen Gardner, who served on Kerry's boat. The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative '" swiftboating ," to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. Most of Kerry's former crewmates have stated that SBVT's allegations are false. After returning to

819-614: A branch of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the group became independent following its split with Lyndon B. Johnson over the Vietnam War . By 1988, members of the College Young Democrats of America planned to split from the Young Democrats of America due to the age and interest difference between college students and young professionals. With the support of then-Senator Al Gore , they organized

910-502: A combat operation. Their mission on the Duong Keo River included bringing an underwater demolition team and dozens of South Vietnamese Marines to destroy enemy sampans , structures and bunkers as described in the story The Death Of PCF 43 . Running into heavy small arms fire from the river banks, Kerry "directed the units to turn to the beach and charge the Viet Cong positions" and he "expertly directed" his boat's fire causing

1001-566: A commentator for WCVB-TV and co-founded a bakery, Kilvert & Forbes Ltd., with businessman and former Kennedy aide K. Dun Gifford. In the 1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election , Lieutenant Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III declined to seek a third term, instead deciding to run for governor of Massachusetts . Kerry declared his candidacy, entering the primary election alongside Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs Evelyn Murphy , State Senator Samuel Rotondi , State Representative Lou Nickinello , and Lois Pines . Kerry won

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1092-463: A cumulative average of 76 over his four years. His freshman-year average was a 71, but he improved to an 81 average for his senior year. He never received an "A" during his time at Yale; his highest grade was an 89. On February 18, 1966, Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve. He began his active duty military service on August 19, 1966. After completing 16 weeks of Officer Candidate School at

1183-512: A film by that name that documents the investigation. According to Nixon Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird , "I didn't approve of what he did, but I understood the protesters quite well", and he declined two requests from the Navy to court martial Reserve Lieutenant Kerry over his antiwar activity. On April 22, 1971, Kerry appeared before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to ending

1274-410: A full-time prosecutor and moved to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts . In January 1977, Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney, essentially making Kerry his campaign and media surrogate because Droney was afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig 's Disease). As First Assistant, Kerry tried cases, which included winning convictions in a high-profile rape case and

1365-540: A historical summary dated March 17, 1969. On March 13, 1969, on the Bái Háp River, Kerry was in charge of one of five Swift boats that were returning to their base after performing an Operation Sealords mission to transport South Vietnamese troops from the garrison at Cái Nước and MIKE Force advisors for a raid on a Vietcong camp located on the Rach Dong Cung canal. Earlier in the day, Kerry received

1456-623: A murder. He also played a role in administering the office, including initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities. It was in this role in 1978 that Kerry announced an investigation into possible criminal charges against then Senator Edward Brooke , regarding "misstatements" in his first divorce trial. The inquiry ended with no charges being brought after investigators and prosecutors determined that Brooke's misstatements were pertinent to

1547-558: A national health insurance system, discounted prescription drugs for the unemployed, a jobs program to clean up the Merrimack River and rent controls in Lowell and Lawrence . A major obstacle, however, was the district's leading newspaper, the conservative The Sun . The paper editorialized against him. It also ran critical news stories about his out-of-state contributions and his " carpetbagging ", because he had only moved into

1638-450: A nationwide landslide for the re-election of Republican President Ronald Reagan , for whom Massachusetts voted by a narrow margin. In his victory speech, Kerry asserted that his win meant that the people of Massachusetts "emphatically reject the politics of selfishness and the notion that women must be treated as second-class citizens". Tsongas resigned on January 2, 1985, one day before the end of his term. Dukakis appointed Kerry to fill

1729-625: A poll had put Kerry 10 points ahead of Cronin, with Durkin at 13%. In the final days of the campaign, Kerry sensed that it was "slipping away" and Cronin emerged victorious by 110,970 votes (53.45%) to Kerry's 92,847 (44.72%). After his defeat, Kerry lamented in a letter to supporters that "for two solid weeks, [ The Sun ] called me un-American, New Left antiwar agitator, unpatriotic, and labeled me every other 'un-' and 'anti-' that they could find. It's hard to believe that one newspaper could be so powerful, but they were." He later felt that his failure to respond directly to The Sun ' s attacks cost him

1820-597: A report that exposed illegal activities on the part of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North , who had set up a private network involving the National Security Council and the CIA to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President's administration were accused by Kerry's report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without

1911-754: A result, banking regulators shut down BCCI in 1991. In December 1992, Kerry and Senator Hank Brown , a Republican from Colorado, released The BCCI Affair , a report on the BCCI scandal. The report showed that the bank was crooked and was working with terrorists , including Abu Nidal . It blasted the Department of Justice , the Department of the Treasury , the Customs Service , the Federal Reserve Bank , as well as influential lobbyists and

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2002-407: A slight shrapnel wound in the buttocks from blowing up a rice bunker. Debarking some but not all of the passengers at a small village, the boats approached a fishing weir ; one group of boats went around to the left of the weir, hugging the shore, and a group with Kerry's PCF-94 boat went around to the right, along the shoreline. A mine was detonated directly beneath the lead boat, PCF-3, as it crossed

2093-920: A spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization. Kerry testified in the Fulbright Hearings before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations , where he described the United States government's policy in Vietnam as the cause of war crimes . In 1972, Kerry entered electoral politics as a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district , losing to republican Paul W. Cronin in

2184-636: A talk radio host on WBZ and, in July 1974, was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association. Kerry received his juris doctor ( J.D. ) from Boston College in 1976. While in law school he had been a student prosecutor in the office of the District Attorney of Middlesex County , John J. Droney . After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976, he went to work in that office as

2275-477: A wealthy grand-aunt paid for him to attend elite boarding schools such as Institut Montana Zugerberg in Switzerland. Through his maternal ancestry, Kerry also descends from Rev. James McGregor who was among the first 500 Scots-Irish immigrants to Boston Harbor in the 18th century. At the age of ten, Kerry's father took a position as the U.S. Attorney for Berlin. When Kerry was twelve, he crossed into

2366-611: Is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of Barack Obama . A member of the Forbes family and of the Democratic Party , he previously represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate from 2021 to 2024. Kerry

2457-481: Is presided over by a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, also elected annually at the national convention by sitting members of the National Council. In addition, CDA has a network of national issue and identity caucuses. National identity caucuses represent specific groups within CDA, and often work with and support similar, state-level identity caucuses. Identity caucus officers are ex officio members of

2548-539: Is shot, the Secret Service has orders to shoot Dan Quayle ." He apologized the following day. During their investigation of General Manuel Noriega , the de facto ruler of Panama , Kerry's staff found reason to believe that the Pakistan -based Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) had facilitated Noriega's drug trafficking and money laundering . This led to a separate inquiry into BCCI, and as

2639-474: Is the official college outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee . It claims over 100,000 college and university student members in College Democrats chapters across the United States . The organizational structure of the College Democrats of America (CDA) has changed significantly since its founding in 1932. The College Democrats of America organization was founded in 1932 to further

2730-639: The 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks and negotiated agreements restricting the nuclear program of Iran , including the 2013 Joint Plan of Action and the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action . In 2015, Kerry signed the Paris Agreement on climate change on behalf of the United States. In January 2021, Kerry returned to government, becoming the first person to hold the position of U.S. special presidential envoy for climate , under President Joe Biden . On March 6, Kerry left this position to work on Biden's 2024 presidential campaign . Kerry

2821-456: The 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict . The spat resulted in the resignation of Evan Goldstein, an officer who had compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Genghis Khan . Every year, the national organization of the CDA holds a national convention . These conventions include meetings for CDA's standing committees (like the constitution committee) and CDA's national caucuses (like

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2912-565: The Electoral College and the popular vote by slim margins, winning 251 electors to Bush's 286 and 48.3% of the popular vote to Bush's 50.7%. In January 2013, Kerry was nominated by President Obama to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton , and was subsequently confirmed by his Senate colleagues. He was U.S. secretary of state throughout the second term of the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure, he initiated

3003-546: The Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. at age seven, when his father took a position in the Department of the Navy 's Office of General Counsel and soon became a diplomat in the State Department 's Bureau of United Nations Affairs. As members of the Forbes and Dudley–Winthrop families, his maternal extended family enjoyed great wealth. Kerry's parents themselves were upper-middle class , and

3094-835: The John Winant Society at St. Paul's to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there. In 1960, while at St. Paul's, he played bass in a minor rock band called The Electras with six of his classmates. The band had about five hundred copies of one album printed in 1961, which they sold some of at dances at the school; it was made available on streaming platforms many years later. In 1962, Kerry attended Yale University , majoring in political science and residing in Jonathan Edwards College . By that year, his parents returned to Groton. While at Yale, Kerry briefly dated Janet Auchincloss ,

3185-593: The Massachusetts Governor's Council . Dukakis also delegated other tasks to Kerry, including serving as the state's liaison to the Federal government of the United States. He was also active on environmental issues, including combating acid rain . The junior U.S. senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas , announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons. Kerry ran, and as in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive

3276-918: The Soviet Occupation Zone to visit Hitler's bunker and ride through the Brandenburg Gate . If Kerry had been captured, it would have caused an international incident. In 1957, his father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo , Norway, and Kerry was sent back to the United States to attend boarding school. He first attended the Fessenden School in Newton, Massachusetts , and later St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire , where he learned skills in public speaking and began developing an interest in politics . Kerry founded

3367-682: The USSR and were accused of human rights abuses. The Sandinista government was opposed by the right-wing CIA -backed rebels known as the Contras . While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the U.S. dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the Reagan administration as

3458-585: The United Nations , the couple instead rented an apartment in Lowell , so that Kerry could run to succeed him. Including Kerry, the Democratic primary race had 10 candidates, including attorney Paul J. Sheehy , State Representative Anthony R. DiFruscia, John J. Desmond and Robert B. Kennedy . Kerry ran a "very expensive, sophisticated campaign", financed by out-of-state backers and supported by many young volunteers. DiFruscia's campaign headquarters shared

3549-591: The United States Army , and possible service in the Vietnam War ), John Kerry's contrasting status as a decorated Vietnam War veteran posed a problem for Bush's re-election campaign, which Republicans sought to counter by calling Kerry's war record into question. As the presidential campaign of 2004 developed, approximately 250 members of a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT, later renamed Swift Vets and POWs for Truth) opposed Kerry's campaign. The group held press conferences, ran ads and endorsed

3640-584: The election campaign of presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt . On August 24, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his first of many radio addresses to the Young Democrats of America clubs. After several years, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the week of September 6 as college students' registration week, thus calling attention to the challenges and importance of registering college students. The Young Democratic Clubs of America continue to register college students across America. Founded as

3731-468: The guided missile frigate USS  Gridley , Kerry requested duty in South Vietnam, listing as his first preference a position as the commander of a Fast Patrol Craft (PCF), also known as a "Swift boat". These 50-foot (15 m) boats have aluminum hulls and have little or no armor, but are heavily armed and rely on speed. "I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in

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3822-520: The Black Caucus, Latinx Caucus, Women's Caucus, AAPI Caucus, Jewish Caucus, LGBTQ+ Caucus, Muslim Caucus, and Disability Caucus. Issue caucuses serve to advocate for a particular issue or topic, and often hold phone banks or otherwise support candidates that have made strides on those issues. Much like for identity caucuses, any College Democrat interested in an issue is entitled to vote in that issue caucus's election. As they are not represented on

3913-664: The CDA Constitution, each local chapter receives three votes, each state federation receives two votes and each member of the outgoing Executive Board receives one vote. As of 2020, the Executive Board consists of the President; the Vice President; the Director of Development; the Director of Political Affairs; the Director of Communications; the Director of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility;

4004-489: The College Democrats of America or the Young Democrats of America. The national organization is overseen by the CDA Executive Board, which consists of the President, Vice President, various Directors, and National Council leadership. The function of the Executive Board is officially to "determine and implement the organization's goals"; its members have elected annually at the national convention. Pursuant to

4095-713: The College Democrats took part in the 2016 Democratic Primary between Secretary Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). In the run-up to the campaign's launch, many students participated in Ready for Hillary PAC 's efforts to build support for Clinton. The statewide organization in California actively supported the PAC and recruited supporters while many chapters hosted the PAC's Hillary Bus on their campuses to build support for Clinton. College Democrats of America The College Democrats of America ( CDA )

4186-471: The Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies." The U.S. State Department paid over $ 806,000 to known drug traffickers to carry humanitarian assistance to the Contras. Kerry's findings provoked little reaction in

4277-743: The Director of Digital Strategy and Mobilization; the Director of Membership; the Director of Programs; the National Council Chair; the National Council Vice-Chair; and the National Council Secretary. CDA is also guided by a National Council, which consists of four state officers from every state and territorial federation, as well as the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and National Council Representative of each identity caucus. The National Council

4368-529: The National Council, issue caucuses simply elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. CDA's list of national issue caucuses include the Pride Caucus, Women's Caucus, Black Caucus, Jewish Caucus, Education Caucus, Faith Caucus, Environmental Caucus, Rural Caucus, Healthcare Caucus, Labor Caucus, Immigrant and Refugee Caucus, Criminal Justice Reform Caucus, and Veteran and Military Affairs Caucus. John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943)

4459-412: The National Council. Each elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and National Council Representative. All CDA members who identify as members of a minority group can vote in that minority group's caucus election, not solely chapter presidents and state federation officers – for example, all Black College Democrats can vote in the national Black Caucus election. CDA's list of national identity caucuses include

4550-462: The Ten Eyck prize as the best orator in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. foreign policy . In the speech he said, "It is the spectre of Western imperialism that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism and thus, it is self-defeating." Kerry graduated from Yale with a bachelor of arts degree in 1966. Overall, he had below-average grades , graduating with

4641-498: The U.S. Naval Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island , Kerry received his officer's commission on December 16, 1966. During the 2004 election, Kerry posted his military records at his website, and permitted reporters to inspect his medical records. In 2005, Kerry released his military and medical records to the representatives of three news organizations, but has not authorized full public access to those records. During his tour on

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4732-436: The United States, Kerry moved to Waltham, Massachusetts and joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Then numbering about 20,000, VVAW was considered by some (including the administration of President Richard Nixon ) to be an effective, if controversial, component of the antiwar movement. Kerry participated in the " Winter Soldier Investigation " conducted by VVAW of U.S. atrocities in Vietnam, and he appears in

4823-447: The authorization of Congress. Kerry's staff investigation, based on a year-long inquiry and interviews with fifty unnamed sources, is said to raise "serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years". The Kerry Committee report found that "the Contra drug links included   ... payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by

4914-496: The boat without orders or give him a medal for saving the crew. Elliott recommended Kerry for the Silver Star, and Zumwalt flew into An Thoi to personally award medals to Kerry and the rest of the sailors involved in the mission. The Navy's account of Kerry's actions is presented in the original medal citation signed by Zumwalt. The engagement was documented in an after-action report, a press release written on March 1, 1969, and

5005-451: The case, but were not material enough to have affected the outcome. Droney's health was poor and Kerry had decided to run for his position in the 1978 election should Droney drop out. However, Droney was re-elected and his health improved; he went on to re-assume many of the duties that he had delegated to Kerry. Kerry thus decided to leave, departing in 1979 with assistant DA Roanne Sragow to set up their own law firm. Kerry also worked as

5096-420: The damaged tissue and close the wound with sutures rather than make a wide opening to remove the shrapnel. Although wounded like several others earlier that day, Kerry did not lose any time off from duty. Eight days later, on February 28, 1969, came the events for which Kerry was awarded his Silver Star Medal . On this occasion, Kerry was in tactical command of his Swift boat and two other Swift boats during

5187-405: The day, such as the civil rights movement and the New Frontier program. He also became a member of Skull and Bones Society , and traveled to Switzerland through AIESEC Yale. Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor Rollin G. Osterweis , Kerry won many debates against other college students from across the nation. In March 1965, as the Vietnam War escalated, he won

5278-498: The district in April. Subsequently, released "Watergate" Oval Office tape recordings of the Nixon White House showed that defeating Kerry's candidacy had attracted the personal attention of President Nixon. Kerry himself asserts that Nixon sent operatives to Lowell to help derail his campaign. The race was the most expensive for Congress in the country that year and four days before the general election, Durkin withdrew and endorsed Cronin, hoping to see Kerry defeated. The week before,

5369-425: The election season, campus chapters typically partake in campaign work. These efforts generally include voter registration drives and dorm storms to register youth voters that have just gained voter eligibility . They also include providing youth manpower to campaigns for canvassing and phone banks. During presidential election years, chapters have organized proxy debates and run mock elections. Many chapters of

5460-470: The endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention. Congressman James Shannon , a favorite of House Speaker Tip O'Neill , was the early favorite to win the nomination, and he "won broad establishment support and led in early polling". Again as in 1982, however, Kerry prevailed in a close primary. In his general election campaign, Kerry promised to mix liberalism with tight budget controls. He defeated Republican Ray Shamie despite

5551-414: The enemy to flee while at the same time coordinating the insertion of the ninety South Vietnamese troops (according to the original medal citation signed by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt ). Moving a short distance upstream, Kerry's boat was the target of a B-40 rocket round; Kerry charged the enemy positions and as his boat hove to and beached , a Viet Cong ("VC") insurgent armed with a rocket launcher emerged from

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5642-436: The general election. He subsequently worked as a radio talk show host and as the executive director of an advocacy organization while attending law school. After a period in private legal practice, he was elected the 66th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1982. In 1984, Kerry was elected to the United States Senate . In 2004 , Kerry won the Democratic presidential nomination alongside Senator John Edwards . He lost

5733-544: The government. For more than two hours, almost 1,000 angry veterans tossed their medals, ribbons, hats, jackets, and military papers over the fence. Each veteran gave his or her name, hometown, branch of service and a statement. Kerry threw some of his own decorations and awards as well as some given to him by other veterans to throw. As Kerry threw his decorations over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all." Kerry

5824-482: The media and official Washington. The Kerry report was a precursor to the Iran–Contra affair . On May 4, 1989, North was convicted of charges relating to the Iran/Contra controversy, including three felonies. On September 16, 1991, however, North's convictions were overturned on appeal. On November 15, 1988, at a businessmen's breakfast in East Lynn , Massachusetts, Kerry made a joke about then- President-elect George H. W. Bush and his running mate, saying "if Bush

5915-433: The night at the Lexington Public Works Garage. Kerry and the other protesters later paid a $ 5 fine, and were released. The mass arrests caused a community backlash and ended up giving positive coverage to the VVAW. In 1970, Kerry had considered running for Congress in the Democratic primary against hawkish Democrat Philip J. Philbin of Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district , but deferred in favor of Robert Drinan ,

6006-515: The nomination with 325,890 votes (29%) to Murphy's 286,378 (25.48%), Rotondi's 228,086 (20.29%), Nickinello's 150,829 (13.42%) and Pines' 132,734 (11.81%). In the concurrent gubernatorial primary, former Governor Michael Dukakis defeated O'Neill and incumbent Governor Edward J. King . The Dukakis and Kerry ticket defeated the Republican ticket of John W. Sears and Leon Lombardi in the general election by 1,219,109 votes (61.92%) to 749,679 (38.08%). As Lieutenant Governor, Kerry led meetings of

6097-415: The organization to adopt a series of institutional reforms. CDA President Mikaela Guido and CDA Vice President Ethan Smith subsequently resigned. In 2014, several CDA officers engaged what was described as "the most notorious, and public, example of inter-party tensions" over Israel when Giovanni Hashimoto, then a CDA officer, faced backlash from anti-Israel CDA officers for defending Israel's actions during

6188-410: The other five candidates, with 1970 nominee Richard Williams coming last with just 1,706 votes (2.26%). In the general election, Kerry was initially favored to defeat the Republican candidate, former State Representative Paul W. Cronin , and conservative Democrat Roger P. Durkin, who ran as an Independent. A week after the primary, one poll put Kerry 26-points ahead of Cronin. His campaign called for

6279-454: The race. After Kerry's 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in the Belvidere section of Lowell, Massachusetts , entering a decade which his brother Cameron later called "the years in exile". He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian organization. In September 1973, he entered Boston College Law School . While studying, Kerry worked as

6370-428: The same building as Kerry's. On the eve of the September 19 primary, police found Kerry's younger brother Cameron and campaign field director Thomas J. Vallely, breaking into where the building's telephone lines were located. They were arrested and charged with " breaking and entering with the intent to commit grand larceny ", but the charges were dropped a year later. At the time of the incident, DiFruscia alleged that

6461-412: The sampans and destroyed them, then rapidly left. During this encounter, Kerry received a shrapnel wound in the left arm above the elbow. It was for this injury that Kerry received his first Purple Heart Medal . Kerry received his second Purple Heart for a wound received in action on the Bồ Đề River on February 20, 1969. The plan had been for the Swift boats to be accompanied by support helicopters. On

6552-405: The scene and Kerry rescued Rassmann who was receiving sniper fire from the water. Kerry received the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for "heroic achievement", for his actions during this incident; he also received his third Purple Heart. After Kerry's third qualifying wound, he was entitled per Navy regulations to reassignment away from combat duties. Kerry's preferred choice for reassignment

6643-581: The two were trying to disrupt his get-out-the vote efforts. Vallely and Cameron Kerry maintained that they were only checking their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut. Despite the arrests, Kerry won the primary with 20,771 votes (27.56%). Sheehy came second with 15,641 votes (20.75%), followed by DiFruscia with 12,222 votes (16.22%), Desmond with 10,213 votes (13.55%) and Kennedy with 5,632 votes (7.47%). The remaining 10,891 votes were split amongst

6734-483: The vacancy, giving him seniority over other new senators who were sworn in on January 3, the scheduled start of their new terms. On April 18, 1985, a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa traveled to Nicaragua and met the country's president, Daniel Ortega . Although Ortega had won internationally certified elections, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his leftist Sandinista government had strong ties to Cuba and

6825-600: The vote (GOTV) activities, both on-campus and in surrounding communities. Other activities are not centrally determined, and thus vary from chapter to chapter. Typical activities might include inviting guest speakers (often elected officials or party activists) to campus, organizing issue advocacy and lobbying efforts (like letter-writing campaigns or phone banks ), and arranging service activities for members to attend. College Democrats chapters also often organize social events (like sporting competitions with College Republicans chapters) and other recruitment activities. During

6916-494: The war. The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with thousands of other veterans in which he and other Vietnam War veterans threw their medals and service ribbons over a fence erected at the front steps of the United States Capitol building to dramatize their opposition to the war. Jack Smith, a Marine , read a statement explaining why the veterans were returning their military awards to

7007-657: The way up the Bo De, however, the helicopters were attacked. As the Swift boats reached the Cửa Lớn River , Kerry's boat was hit by a B-40 rocket (rocket propelled grenade round), and a piece of shrapnel hit Kerry's left leg, wounding him. Thereafter, enemy fire ceased and his boat reached the Gulf of Thailand safely. Kerry continues to have shrapnel embedded in his left thigh because the doctors that first treated him decided to remove

7098-421: The weir to the left, lifting PCF-3 "about 2–3 ft out of water". James Rassmann , a Green Beret advisor who was aboard Kerry's PCF-94, was knocked overboard when, according to witnesses and the documentation of the event, a mine or rocket exploded close to the boat. According to the documentation for the event, Kerry's arm was injured when he was thrown against a bulkhead during the explosion. PCF 94 returned to

7189-423: The women's caucus) as well as the elections for CDA's National Executive Board. The convention also offers workshops on how to be effective in government and campaigning, and prominent speakers from the national Democratic party (previous speakers have included Bill Clinton , Al Gore , Hillary Clinton , Barack Obama , John Edwards , Nancy Pelosi , members of Congress , and Cabinet members). The 2023 convention

7280-549: The work of CDA activists, John Kerry won 54% of the youth vote in 2004. CDA continues to have a large presence today, with college chapters across America. At the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC former CDA President Alejandra C. Salinas (2010–2012) delivered a speech in support of President Barack Obama. In 2015, President Natasha McKenzie was impeached and removed from office for malfeasance that occurred during CDA's National Convention. McKenzie's removal

7371-407: The younger half-sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy . Through Auchincloss, Kerry was invited to a day of sailing with then-President John F. Kennedy and his family. Kerry played on the varsity Yale Bulldogs men's soccer team, earning his only letter in his senior year. He also played freshman and junior varsity hockey and, in his senior year, junior varsity lacrosse . In addition, he

7462-563: Was Episcopalian . He was raised with an elder sister Margaret, a younger sister Diana, and a younger brother Cameron . The children were raised in their father's Catholic faith, and John served as an altar boy . Kerry was originally considered a military brat , until his father was discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1944. Kerry lived in Groton, Massachusetts his first year and Millis, Massachusetts afterwards before moving to

7553-741: Was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and took flying lessons. In his sophomore year, Kerry became the chairman of the Liberal Party of the Yale Political Union , and a year later he served as president of the union. Amongst his influential teachers in this period was Professor H. Bradford Westerfield , who was himself a former president of the Political Union. His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of

7644-560: Was arrested on May 30, 1971, during a VVAW march to honor American POWs held captive by North Vietnam . The march was planned as a multi-day event from Concord to Boston, and while in Lexington , participants tried to camp on the village green. At 2:30   a.m., local and state police arrested 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing. All were given the Miranda Warning and were hauled away on school buses to spend

7735-627: Was as a military aide in Boston, New York City or Washington, D.C. On April 11, 1969, he reported to the Brooklyn -based Atlantic Military Sea Transportation Service , where he would remain on active duty for the following year as a personal aide to an officer, Rear Admiral Walter Schlech. On January 1, 1970, Kerry was temporarily promoted to full lieutenant . Kerry had agreed to an extension of his active duty obligation from December 1969 to August 1970 in order to perform Swift Boat duty. John Kerry

7826-646: Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Biden in May 2024. John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943, at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado . He is the second of four children born to Richard John Kerry , a U.S. diplomat and lawyer, and Rosemary Forbes , a nurse and social activist. His father was raised Catholic (John's paternal grandparents were Austro-Hungarian Jewish immigrants who converted to Catholicism) and his mother

7917-703: Was held in Little Rock, Arkansas . The CDA convention that occurs during presidential election years is typically held in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention . Colleges across America organize Democratic chapters at the local level. Many of these then charter with state federations (such as the California College Democrats, and Texas College Democrats) for support and to unite college Democrats within each state. Many state federations then charter with

8008-414: Was in charge of a small boat operating near a peninsula north of Cam Ranh Bay together with a Swift boat (PCF-60). According to Kerry and the two crewmen who accompanied him that night, Patrick Runyon and William Zaladonis, they surprised a group of Vietnamese men unloading sampans at a river crossing, who began running and failed to obey an order to stop. As the men fled, Kerry and his crew opened fire on

8099-598: Was on active duty in the United States Navy from August 1966 until January 1970. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until February 1978. With the continuing controversy that had surrounded the military service of George W. Bush since the 2000 presidential election (when he was accused of having used his father's political influence to gain entrance to the Texas Air National Guard , thereby protecting himself from conscription into

8190-575: Was overturned and she was reinstated as president after a ruling from the DNC Credentials Committee at the 2015 DNC Summer Meeting in Minneapolis. In June 2020, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd , several National Executive Board members resigned from the organization after allegations of racism and classism throughout the organization. These ongoing allegations resulted in over forty federations jointly calling on

8281-576: Was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election , losing to then-incumbent president George W. Bush . Kerry grew up in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. In 1966, after graduating from Yale University , he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve , ultimately attaining the rank of lieutenant . During the Vietnam War , Kerry served a brief tour in South Vietnam . While commanding

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