Will Kerry Run Again?

John Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts and Democratic Presidential Candidate in 2004 has yet to declare if he will seek the nomination in 2008.

But Kerry is doing all the right things for another tilt at the nomination. Since the end of 2004, he has been to key states Iowa 8 times, and New Hampshire 9 times. That far exceeds all of the other candidates or potential candidates, bar John Edwards, his former running mate and declared runner.

So how is Kerry's standing in the Democratic Party? There is no doubt that he has lost some shine after not securing victory in 04. But he does have a base of support. His senior and powerful colleague from Massachusetts, Sen. Ted Kennedy has already said that he would support another run by Kerry.

And there is still a lot of goodwill for Kerry, who was viewed as a good, but perhaps not a great candidate. If they think he is wiser for the experience, they might yet be willing to consider him again.

But Kerry this time is up against some big names who should be running. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are the main players, but John Edwards will again be running a solid race, and wouldn't be likely to settle for VP again. In addition, there is the unknown quantity in Al Gore, who is yet to rule out a run.

Kerry already has close to $20 million in his campaign account, mostly money left over from the 2004 election.

And raising more money would not be a problem for Kerry. For that 2004 election, Kerry raised almost $350million for the fight against President Bush. And in the Mid Terms, his PAC was a major giver to Democratic candidates across the country.

Kerry will be weighing up his options in the coming weeks. But as the others start declaring their run, he will need to make an announcement soon, or the race could get well ahead of him.