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Presidential endorsements

While Kennedy himself did not run, his endorsements for other candidates were commonly viewed as very important. In 1988 he supported the successful bid of Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to win the nomination.[13] Four years later (1992) he initially backed former fellow Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas, who lost to Bill Clinton.[13] In 2000, like nearly all Democratic elected officials, Kennedy supported Vice President Al Gore against former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley.[13] In 2004 he backed fellow Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who won the nomination but narrowly lost to incumbent George W. Bush.[13] Currently Kennedy is supporting Illinois Senator Barack Obama.[13]