Top 5 Presidential Candidates

In one year from this Election Day, Americans will be voting on their next national leader: The President of the United States. This fall kicks off the most important leg of the campaign trail All of the major candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring. With eight Democrats and nine Republicans running, it really is anybody's race.

But, with so many candidates, how is a person to know who they like best? This is especially the case for teens, who might be too young to vote, but still want to learn about the candidates. Even though you might be too young to vote, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't pay attention to the Presidential race.

Obviously, there are more than five candidates to choose from. Aside from the two Democrats mentioned in this article, there is also John Edwards, Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson. Besides the three Republican candidates mentioned here, you also have John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is no stranger to the White House. This former First Lady is actually the first lady to ever run for President of the United States. A Liberal Democrat born and raised in Illinois, Clinton is currently the Junior Senator for the State of New York. Before becoming First Lady, Clinton was First Lady of Arkansas for 12 years, and has a degree in Law from Yale.

Rudy Giuliani is more moderate than the other Republican candidates. Known as "America's Mayor," Giuliani was the Mayor of New York during the 9/11 attack on America. It is no wonder that he is tough on terrorism, which is one of his primary platforms.

Barack Obama is the first African American to ever run for President. Obama is the Junior Senator for Illinois, and currently the only African American serving in the U.S. Senate. Obama hopes to be the Democratic nominee.

Mitt Romney served only one term as the Governor of Massachusetts before deciding to go on to bigger and better things - seeking out the Republican nomination for Presidency, and ultimately ending up in the Oval Office. Romney is a real family man, with five sons and ten grandchildren. Romney's sons have been traveling the country on a bus tour, campaigning for their dad.

Fred Thompson is the latest politician to throw his hat into the 2008 Presidential race, and most likely the last big contender for Office. It is only appropriate that Thompson announced that his candidacy on The Tonight Show, since he is a regular on the hit NBC television series Law & Order. Before starting the show, Thompson was the Republican Senator from Tennessee, from 1994 - 2003. He has also held several other positions within the government, including as chairman of the State Department's International Security Advisory Board.