Weekly Democratic Address

The Weekly Democratic Address was delivered by a different prominent Democrat each week, in response to the weekly address of the president of the United States during a Republican presidency. When a Democrat has held the presidency, the President delivers the weekly address, such as occurred during 2009–2017 under Barack Obama.

George W. Bush

2001 Weekly Democratic Address speakers Republican President George W. Bush was inaugurated on January 20. While Democrats held a majority in the Senate until Inauguration Day, Republicans received a majority of seats in both the House and Senate following the inauguration.

DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)January 27Richard GephardtMissouriHouseHouse Democratic LeaderFebruary 3Thomas DaschleSouth DakotaSenateSenate Democratic LeaderFebruary 10Kent ConradNorth DakotaSenateFebruary 17Charles RangelNew YorkHouseFebruary 24Thomas VilsackIowaGovernorMarch 3John SprattSouth CarolinaHouseRanking Member of the House Budget CommitteeMarch 17Bob MenendezNew JerseyHouseMarch 24Russell FeingoldWisconsinSenateMarch 31Gary LockeWashingtonGovernorApril 8Jeff Bingaman and Jay InsleeNew Mexico (Bingaman) and Washington (Inslee)Senate (Bingaman) and House (Inslee)First Weekly Address that is spoken by more than one person April 21David BoniorMichiganHouseApril 28Patty MurrayWashingtonSenateMay 5Terry McAuliffeVirginiaDemocratic National Committee ChairmanMay 12Nita LoweyNew YorkHouseMay 19Gray DavisCaliforniaGovernorJune 2Anna EshooCaliforniaHouseJune 9John EdwardsNorth CarolinaSenateJune 16Richard GephardtMissouriHouseHouse Democratic LeaderJune 23Thomas HarkinIowaSenateJuly 7John DingellMichiganHouseJuly 14Tim JohnsonSouth DakotaSenateJuly 21James TurnerTexasHouseJuly 28Jean CarnahanMissouriSenateAugust 4Terry McAuliffeVirginiaDemocratic National Committee ChairmanAugust 18Paul WellstoneMinnesotaSenateAugust 25John SprattSouth CarolinaHouseSeptember 1Mary LandrieuLouisianaSenateSeptember 8Ed PastorArizonaHouseSeptember 16Hillary Clinton and Chuck SchumerNew York (Both)SenateFirst Weekly Address since the September 11 AttacksSeptember 29James HahnCaliforniaMayorMayor of Los AngelesOctober 6Martin FrostTexasHouseOctober 13Thomas DaschleSouth DakotaSenateSenate Democratic LeaderOctober 20Nancy PelosiCaliforniaHouseOctober 28Thomas DaschleSouth DakotaSenateNovember 3Mark GreenNew YorkFormer Commissioner and Democratic mayoral candidateDemocratic candidate for the 2001 New York City mayoral election. Later lost to Michael BloombergNovember 10Shelley BerkleyNevadaHouseNovember 17Jean CarnahanMissouriSenateNovember 24Juanita McDonaldCaliforniaHouseDecember 1Harry ReidNevadaSenateDecember 15Thomas DaschleSouth DakotaSenateSenate Democratic LeaderDecember 29David BoniorMichiganHouse

2002 Weekly Democratic Address speakers DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)January 6Byron L. DorganNorth DakotaSenateJanuary 12Michael RossArkansasHouseJanuary 19Terry McAuliffeVirginiaDemocratic National Committee ChairmanJanuary 26Byron L. DorganNorth DakotaSenateFebruary 24Jim MathesonUtahHouseMarch 2Jay RockefellerWest VirginiaSenateMarch 9Edward J. O'BrienPennsylvaniaHouse candidateDemocratic candidate for the House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district. Later lost to incumbent Representative Pat Toomey.March 17Tim JohnsonSouth DakotaSenateMarch 24Antonio VillaraigosaCaliforniaSpeaker EmeritusFormer Speaker of the California AssemblyMarch 30Robert MatsuiCaliforniaHouseApril 6Edward KennedyMassachusettsSenateApril 13John ConyersMichiganHouseMay 4Shelley BerkleyNevadaHouseJune 1Bill BradburyOregonOregon Secretary of State and Senate candidateWas running for Senate in Oregon. Later lost the election to incumbent Republican Senator Gordon H. Smith.June 8Richard GephardtMissouriHouseJune 15Bob Graham and Zell MillerFlorida (Graham) and Georgia (Miller)Senate (Both)June 22John DingellMichiganHouseJune 29Paul SarbanesMarylandSenateJuly 13David PhelpsIllinoisHouseJuly 20Paul WellstoneMinnesotaSenateJuly 27Rosa DeLauroConnecticutHouseAugust 24Chellie PingreeMaineSenate candidateLater lost to incumbent Senator Susan CollinsDecember 8Maria CantwellWashington StateSenateDecember 14Bob MenendezNew JerseyHouseDecember 20Harry ReidNevadaSenateDecember 28Hillary ClintonNew YorkSenate

2003 Weekly Democratic Address speakers DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)April 19Elijah CummingsMarylandHouseApril 26Stephanie Tubbs JonesOhioHouseMay 24Tom DaschleSouth DakotaSenateJuly 26Tom DaschleSouth DakotaSenateAugust 2Mark WarnerVirginiaGovernorAugust 9Charles StenholmTexasHouseAugust 16Artur DavisAlabamaHouseAugust 23Chuck SchumerNew YorkSenateAugust 31Sherrod BrownOhioHouseSeptember 6Gray DavisCaliforniaGovernorSeptember 13Jane HarmanCaliforniaHouseSeptember 20Leticia Van de PutteTexasState SenatorSeptember 27Patty MurrayWashingtonSenateOctober 4Tim HoldenPennsylvaniaGovernorOctober 11Baron HillIndianaHouseOctober 18Douglas H. PalmerNew JerseyMayor of TrentonOctober 25Patrick LeahyVermontSenateNovember 1Ronnie MusgroveMississippiGovernorNovember 8Chet EdwardsTexasHouseNovember 15Barbara BoxerCaliforniaSenateNovember 22Richard PerkinsNevadaState RepresentativeNovember 28John TannerTennesseeHouseDecember 6Darlene HooleyOregonHouseDecember 13Harry ReidNevadaSenateDecember 20Barbara MikulskiMarylandSenateDecember 27Tom VilsackIowaGovernor

2004 Weekly Democratic Address speakers DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)January 3Tim BishopNew YorkHouseJanuary 10Jim DoyleWisconsinGovernorJanuary 17Michael MichaudMaineHouseJanuary 31Brad MillerNorth CarolinaHouseFebruary 7Kwame KilpatrickMichiganMayor of DetroitFebruary 14Tom VilsackIowaGovernorFebruary 21Janet NapolitanoArizonaGovernorMarch 6John KerryMassachusettsSenateMarch 13Ted KennedyMassachusettsSenateMarch 20Jennifer GranholmMichiganGovernorMarch 27Nancy PelosiCaliforniaHouseApril 3John KerryMassachusettsSenateApril 10Carl LevinMichiganSenateApril 17John KerryMassachusettsSenateApril 24Mark UdallColoradoHouseMay 1Paul RieckhoffWashington, D.C.writerMay 8Wesley ClarkWashington, D.C.General of the United States ArmyMay 15John KerryMassachusettsSenateMay 22John KerryMassachusettsSenateMay 29John KerryMassachusettsSenateJune 12John KerryMassachusettsSenateJune 19Nick LampsonTexasHouseJune 26Barack ObamaIllinoisState SenatorJuly 3John KerryMassachusettsSenateJuly 10John EdwardsNorth CarolinaSenateJuly 17Jan SchakowskyIllinoisSenateJuly 24John KerryMassachusettsSenateJuly 31Merrill McPeakWashington, D.C.Chief of Staff of the United States Air ForceAugust 14Maria CantwellWashingtonSenateAugust 21John EdwardsNorth CarolinaSenateAugust 28Earl PomeroyNorth DakotaHouseSeptember 4John KerryMassachusettsSenateSeptember 18Betty CastorFloridaSenate candidateOctober 2John EdwardsNorth CarolinaSenateOctober 9Steny HoyerMarylandHouseOctober 16John EdwardsNorth CarolinaSenateOctober 23John KerryMassachusettsSenateOctober 30John KerryMassachusettsSenateNovember 6Nancy PelosiCaliforniaHouseNovember 13Chet EdwardsTexasHouseNovember 20Harry ReidNevadaSenateNovember 27Tom VilsackIowaGovernorDecember 4Bob MenendezNew JerseyHouseDecember 11Donna BrazileLouisianaDemocratic National CommitteeDecember 18Dick DurbinIllinoisSenateDecember 25Bill RichardsonNew MexicoGovernor

2005 Weekly Democratic Address speakers DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)January 8Charles RangelNew YorkHouseJanuary 15Debbie StabenowMichiganSenateJanuary 22Christine GregoireWashingtonGovernorJanuary 29Ike SkeltonMissouriHouseFebruary 5Terry McAuliffeVirginiaDemocratic National CommitteeFebruary 12Chuck SchumerNew YorkSenateFebruary 19John SprattSouth CarolinaHouseFebruary 25Brian SchweitzerMontanaGovernorMarch 5Kent ConradNorth DakotaSenateMarch 12James RooseveltNew YorkSocial Security AdministratorMarch 19Ed RendellPennsylvaniaGovernorMarch 26Sander LevinMichiganHouseApril 2George MitchellMaineSenateApril 9Harry ReidNevadaSenateApril 23Ed MarkeyMassachusettsHouseApril 30Mario CuomoNew YorkFormer GovernorMay 7Chuck SchumerNew YorkSenateMay 14Bill RichardsonNew MexicoGovernorMay 21Kendrick MeekFloridaSenateMay 28Wesley ClarkWashington, D.C.General of the United States ArmyJune 4Byron DorganNorth DakotaSenateJune 11Phil BredesenTennesseeGovernorJune 18Bob EtheridgeNorth CarolinaHouseJune 25Zbigniew BrzezinskiVirginiaNational Security AdvisorJuly 2Patty MurrayWashingtonSenateJuly 9Harry ReidNevadaSenateJuly 23Larry C. JohnsonWashington, D.C.Former analyst for the Central Intelligence AgencyJuly 30Daniel InouyeHawaiiSenateAugust 6John LewisGeorgiaHouseAugust 13John SalazarColoradoHouseAugust 20Max ClelandGeorgiaSenateAugust 27Ted KennedyMassachusettsSenateSeptember 3Charles MelanconLouisianaHouseSeptember 10Bennie ThompsonMississippiHouseSeptember 17Kathleen BlancoLouisianaGovernorSeptember 24Blanche LincolnArkansasSenateOctober 1Maria CantwellWashingtonSenateOctober 8Rosa DeLauroConnecticutHouseOctober 22Mark PryorArkansasSenateOctober 29John DingellMichiganHouseNovember 5Barbara MikulskiMarylandSenateNovember 19Dennis CardozaCaliforniaHouseNovember 26Christine GregoireWashingtonGovernorDecember 24Jim ClyburnSouth CarolinaHouseDecember 31Nancy PelosiCaliforniaHouse

2006 Weekly Democratic Address speakers DateSpeakersStatePositionNotesReference(s)January 7Louise SlaughterNew YorkHouseJanuary 14Dick DurbinIllinoisSenateJanuary 21Harry ReidNevadaSenateJanuary 28Henry WaxmanCaliforniaHouseFebruary 4Jennifer GranholmMichiganGovernorFebruary 11Bob MenendezNew JerseySenateFebruary 18Patsy MadridNew MexicoAttorney General of New MexicoFebruary 25Jon CorzineNew JerseyGovernorMarch 4Francine BusbyCaliforniaHouse candidateMarch 11Howard DeanVermontDemocratic National CommitteeMarch 18Dianne FeinsteinCaliforniaSenateMarch 25Marion BarryArkansasHouseApril 1Wesley ClarkWashington, D.C.NATOApril 8Steny HoyerMarylandHouseApril 15Hilda SolisCaliforniaHouseApril 22Bill NelsonFloridaHouseApril 29Bart StupakMichiganHouseMay 6Maria CantwellWashingtonSenateMay 13Ron KleinFloridaState SenatorMay 20Mike HondaCaliforniaHouseJune 3Peter WelchVermontHouseJune 10Harry ReidNevadaSenateJune 17Nancy PelosiCaliforniaHouseJune 24Howard DeanVermontDemocratic National CommitteeJuly 1Jim WebbVirginiaSenate candidateJuly 8Bruce BraleyIowaHouseJuly 15Claire McCaskillMissouriSenateJuly 22Diana DeGetteCaliforniaHouseJuly 29Bill RichardsonNew MexicoGovernorAugust 5Ken SalazarColoradoSenateAugust 26Mary LandrieuLouisianaSenateSeptember 2Bennie ThompsonMississippiHouseSeptember 16Chris MurphyConnecticutHouse candidateSeptember 30Tammy DuckworthIllinoisHouse candidateOctober 7Patty WetterlingMinnesotaHouse candidateOctober 14Patrick MurphyPennsylvaniaHouse candidateOctober 21Diane FarrellConnecticutHouse candidateNovember 4Lois MurphyPennsylvaniaHouse candidateNovember 11Howard DeanVermontDemocratic National CommitteeNovember 18Harry ReidNevadaSenateNovember 25Steny HoyerMarylandHouseDecember 2Jim WallisWashington, D.C.editor in chief of Sojourners magazineDecember 9Silvestre ReyesTexasHouseDecember 16William PerryPennsylvaniaUnited States Secretary of DefenseDecember 23Evan BayhIndianaSenateDecember 30Jerry McNerneyCaliforniaHouse elect

2007 Weekly Democratic Address speakers