Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found.
Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria are listed last.

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Clinton, Hillary (D) - Pro Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator (D-NY), stated in a Feb. 6, 2000 New York Times article titled "'I Knew It Would Be Rough': Excerpts From Interview With Mrs. Clinton": "I support the death penalty. I support a lot of the positions that I think the majority of New Yorkers support." Feb. 6, 2000 Hillary Clinton

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Gravel, Mike (Lib) - Con Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator (D-AK), issued the following statement through his press secretary, Alex Colvin, in a Nov. 9, 2007 email to ProCon.org: "No, Senator Gravel is opposed to capital punishment." Nov. 9, 2007 Mike Gravel

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Keyes, Alan (Ind) - Pro Alan Keyes, former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State, stated in the "Death Penalty/Child Sentencing" section on his official candidate website (accessed Apr. 2, 2008): "I believe that there are certain circumstances in which the death penalty is in fact essential to our respect for life... I believe that there are circumstances under which it is essential, in fact, that we have and apply the death penalty in order to send a clear moral message to people throughout our society that we will not tolerate that kind of disrespect for life." Apr. 2, 2008 Alan Keyes

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McCain, John (R) - Pro John McCain, U.S. Senator (R-AZ), voted Yes on S.1798 on Oct. 26, 1989: "S.1798: A bill to provide for the imposition of the death penalty for the terrorist murder of United States nationals abroad." Oct. 26, 1989 John McCain

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McKinney, Cynthia (Grn) - Con Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. House Representative (D-GA), stated in her May 1, 2007 Green Party Presidential Candidate Questionnaire: "In 1994, I voted to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment in the Federal Criminal Statutes. In 1995 I voted in opposition to making federal death penalty appeals more difficult. In 1996, I voted to maintain the right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. In 2001, I voted to support a moratorium on the death penalty; and for funding for DNA testing; as well as to require DNA testing prior to any federal executions." May 1, 2007 Cynthia McKinney

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Nader, Ralph (Ind) - Con Ralph Nader, attorney, author, and political activist, was quoted in a Nov. 2, 2000 article titled "Campaign 2000: Nader and Buchanan Stances on Election Issues," published in The Daily Texan: "Since I was a law student at Harvard, I have been against the death penalty. It does not deter. It is severely discriminatory against minorities, especially since they're given no competent legal counsel defense in many cases. It's a system that has to be perfect. You cannot execute one innocent person." Nov. 2, 2000 Ralph Nader

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Obama, Barack (D) - Pro Barack Obama, U.S. Senator (D-IL), stated in his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream: "While the evidence tells me that the death penalty does little to deter crime, I believe there are some crimes- mass murder, the rape and murder of a child- so heinous, so beyond the pale, that the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage by meting out the ultimate punishment." 2006 Barack Obama

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Paul, Ron (R) - Pro Ron Paul, U.S. Representative (R-TX), stated in an Aug. 25, 2007 interview with John Lofton titled "Exclusive Interview: Ron Paul on God/Government; Abortion; Homosexuality; and Much More" on The American View: "Well, all states have the right to impose capital punishment. But I have become so skeptical of the federal government that under our system... the federal government has made so many mistakes and with DNA evidence now revealing so many errors that I don't even like the idea of our federal government pretending that they know whose life they are going to take because of their total ineptness in just about everything they do. As far as the state goes, yes capital punishment is a deserving penalty for those who commit crime." Aug. 25, 2007 Ron Paul

CANDIDATES WHO HAVE WITHDRAWN OR WHO NO LONGER MEET OUR CRITERIA     Biden, Joe (D) - Pro Joe Biden, U.S. Senator (D-DE), stated in a June 20, 2002 press release titled "Biden Statement on Supreme Court Decision on the Execution of Mentally Retarded Individuals": "As the author of two major federal crime laws that extend the availability of the death penalty to sixty additional crimes, I support capital punishment as a crime-fighting technique. But we must implement the death penalty in a way that is consistent with our values as Americans. Just as we would not execute a 12-year-old, I have long argued that we should not execute a mentally retarded person whose mental capacity might be far more limited. That's why I led the fight in 1990 to oppose the extension of the federal death penalty to mentally retarded persons." June 20, 2002 Joe Biden Top      Brownback, Sam (R) - None Found   Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007; no position found as of that date Top    Dodd, Chris (D) - Pro Chris Dodd, U.S. Senator (D-CT), at an Apr. 23, 2007 forum with Sam Brownback at Boston College: "I have taken the view over the years that there are certain circumstances...where I would not exclude the use of the death penalty. I don't like to see it used as widely or broadly..." Apr. 23, 2007 Chris Dodd Top    Edwards, John (D) - Pro John Edwards, former U.S. Senator (D-NC), stated in a Feb. 26, 2004 Democratic Presidential Debate moderated by Larry King in Los Angeles, CA: "KING: ...Senator Edwards, I know you agree with capital punishment. EDWARDS: Yes... KING: ... why do you favor capital? EDWARDS: Because I think there are some crimes -- those men who dragged James Byrd behind that truck in Texas, they deserve the death penalty. And I think there are some crimes that deserve the ultimate punishment." Feb. 26, 2004 John Edwards Top      Gilmore, Jim (R) - None Found   Withdrew on Aug. 14, 2007; no position found as of that date Top    Giuliani, Rudy (R) - Pro Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, stated in a Dec. 17, 2001 CNN.com article titled "Giuliani: Consider Death Penalty for American Taliban Fighter": "When you commit treason against the United States of America, particularly at a time when the U.S. is in peril of attack and further attack, I believe the death penalty is the appropriate remedy to consider." Dec. 17, 2001 Rudy Giuliani Top    Huckabee, Mike (R) - Pro Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, in the Nov. 28, 2007 CNN/YouTube Republican Presidential Debate, stated: "I believe there is a place for a death penalty. Some crimes are so heinous, so horrible that the only response that we, as a civilized nation, have for a most uncivil action is not only to try to deter that person from ever committing that crime again, but also as a warning to others that some crimes truly are beyond any other capacity for us to fix." Nov. 28, 2007 Mike Huckabee Top    Hunter, Duncan (R) - Pro Duncan Hunter, U.S. Representative (R-CA), stated in the Sep. 27, 2007 Republican Presidential Debate at Morgan State University in Baltimore, MD: "I think there is a need for the death penalty. And it's called deterrence. And that means that, when that Charles Manson is getting ready to pull the trigger on an innocent American, just maybe the idea passes through his mind that he, himself, is going to lose his life. Now, that might only deter five percent, 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent. It does deter some people. And for that reason, the death penalty, dealing with some very rough, very ruthless people, is necessary." Sep. 27, 2007 Duncan Hunter Top    Imperato, Daniel (3rd/I) - Pro Daniel Imperato, an Independent candidate and business entrepreneur, issued the following statement through his press secretary, Joseph Oddo, in a Nov. 30, 2007 email to ProCon.org: "Yes." Nov. 30, 2007 Daniel Imperato Top    Kubby, Steve (3rd/I) - Con Steve Kubby, a Libertarian candidate and founder of the American Medical Marijuana Association, stated in a Nov. 9, 2007 email to ProCon.org: "As a presidential candidate, my purview is twofold. It encompasses the death penalty for federal crimes, as well as the issue of ensuring that due process of law prevails in the states. I oppose capital punishment and would work to abolish the death penalty for federal crimes. Given the recent revelations of wrongful convictions in death penalty cases at the state level, I would also direct the Attorney General and the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department to monitor due process issues and intervene where necessary to ensure that criminal defendants receive the full protections due them under the Constitution." Nov. 9, 2007 Steve Kubby Top    Kucinich, Dennis (D) - Con Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative (D-OH), stated at the June 28, 2007 Democratic Presidential Debate in Washingon, D.C.: "...[A]s President I'll do everything I can to end the federal death penalty which I've already introduced legislation for in the past because we need to have an approach that recognizes the discrimination which exists in our justice system." June 28, 2007 Dennis Kucinich Top    McEnulty, Frank (3rd/I) - Pro Frank McEnulty, an Independent candidate and President of Our Castle Homes, in a Nov. 13, 2007 email to ProCon.org, stated: "I am not opposed to the death penalty and I believe that it is an important legal option in our justice system. However, I also believe that the death penalty system has gotten to the point where it is becoming not only impractical, but also economically unfeasible. I see the system slowly moving away from death to life in prison without parole and would not stand in the way of that migration if that is what the people continue to demand." Nov. 13, 2007 Frank McEnulty Top    Richardson, Bill (D) - Pro Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, stated in a Jan. 21, 2003 Albuquerque Tribune article titled "Per Diem: The Roundhouse Report": "I support the death penalty with the most strictest of safeguards...I support the death penalty for the most heinous of crimes...I've always done that while I was in Congress." Jan. 21, 2003 Bill Richardson Top    Romney, Mitt (R) - Pro Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, issued the following statement in an article titled "In the News" on his official campaign website (accessed Nov. 28, 2007): "Governor Romney has been a consistent supporter and advocate of the death penalty for convicted killers." Nov. 28, 2007 Mitt Romney Top    Smith, Christine (3rd/I) - Con Christine Smith, a Libertarian candidate and a social and political activist, stated in a Dec. 5, 2007 email to ProCon.org: "No." Dec. 5, 2007 Christine Smith Top    Tancredo, Tom (R) - Pro Tom Tancredo, U.S. Representative (R-CA), on July 25, 2003 co-sponsored the "Terrorist Penalties Enhancement Act of 2004" (H.R.2934): "Whoever, in the course of committing a terrorist offense, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life." July 25, 2003 "Terrorist Penalties Enhancement Act of 2004" (H.R.2934) Top    Thompson, Fred (R) - Pro Fred Thompson, former U.S. Senator (R-TN), stated in a June 27, 2007 The Fred Thompson Report article titled "Common Sense on Capital Punishment" on ABC Radio Network: "Our country seems to be able to come to the right conclusions over time, even when we're being told over and over again that we're wrong. When I say the right conclusions, by the way, I mean conclusions supported by honest research and real evidence. I've got a good example -- capital punishment. For decades, the self-proclaimed smart kids have been telling us that the death penalty just doesn't work. The people with the top jobs in academia and the news business have scoffed at the American people's insistence that executions prevent murder... The reliable two-thirds of Americans who have always supported the death penalty probably wouldn't be surprised to find out that study after study has shown that the death penalty deters murders. Some studies show really dramatic effects, with each execution of a murderer deterring as many as 18 or more murders. That's according to Emory University professors, who found as well that delaying execution also leads to further murders. Most studies have concluded that some number of murders between three and 18 are prevented for every application of capital punishment... Certainly, the use of DNA evidence to clear long-held prisoners from murder charges proves that we need to be more careful about handing out death sentences; and science must be used even more and earlier in the criminal process to protect the innocent and convict the guilty. However, these studies are important in properly analyzing the effect of the death penalty." June 27, 2007 Fred Thompson Top      Thompson, Tommy (R) - None Found   Withdrew on Sep. 12, 2007; no position found as of that date Top      Vilsack, Tom (D) - None Found   Withdrew on Feb. 23, 2007; no position found as of that date

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