When did you first hear of....

[MATTROSE94]

Barack Obama: I remember my mom watching portions of his DNC convention speech in 2004 on our old 1995 Sony Trinitron TV. I did not know too much about him until late-2006/early-2007, when I read a Time Magazine article about him around the time he announced his candidacy.

Hillary Clinton: I have some vague memories of Hillary Clinton during her time as First Lady around 1998 or 1999. In 2008, I initially supported her candidacy and even convinced several family members to vote for her in the Democratic primaries.

Joe Biden: When Obama picked him as his running-mate in 2008.

George W. Bush: When he was running for President in 2000.

Dick Cheney: At the same time that Bush picked him as his running-mate.

Mitt Romney: I first read about Mitt Romney in late-2009 when looking up the prospective Republican candidates for 2012 on Wikipedia.

John McCain: When he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in 2007.

Rudy Giuliani: I first heard of Rudy Giuliani around the time that 9/11 occurred. Like many others, I was impressed with his handling of 9/11.

Ron Paul: In mid-2007, I went into the local Quick Check and saw several Ron Paul signs in place on the bulletin board. One of them said that he was the “Taxpayers Best Friend” or something to that effect. I did not research Ron Paul’s policy positions until 2009 however.

Sarah Palin: In early-2008, I did a school project on Alaska and remember reading that Sarah Palin was the Governor of the state.

Michelle Bachmann: I first learned about Michelle Bachmann on an episode of the McLaughlin Group from February of 2010. She was being discussed by the panelists as a rising star in the conservative movement.

Newt Gingrich: Shortly after Obama was elected, my 9th grade history teacher told me that Gingrich would be his top choice in 2012 and went over his achievements as House Speaker.

Rick Santorum: Around 2005 or 2006. I remember being put-off by his strong support for the Iraq War/neoconservative foreign policy views and his vocal opposition to gay marriage.