The campaign trail was familiar territory for political veteran Dick Gephardt

In 2004, however, it was his failure to secure a place in the top three which spelt an end for Mr Gephardt's presidential bid.

He was one of the most politically seasoned candidates, having served in Congress since 1977 and led the Democrat Party in the House of Representatives for much of the last decade.

But that was not enough to convince Iowan Democrats that Mr Gephardt would be in with a chance when the country goes to the polls in November.

Poor roots

Mr Gephardt comes from a working class neighbourhood in St Louis.

"I grew up poor. My dad was a Teamster and a milk truck driver," he said in his stump speech.

Dick Gephardt's platform Universal healthcare Energy plan with a focus on renewable energy Universal pension scheme International minimum wage Help pay student loans of teachers

His parents did not finish high school, but he was able to go to university and law school with the help of a church scholarship and student loans.

He was first elected to Congress in 1976 from the same district where he grew up, and close friends say he had presidential ambitions almost from the start.

These first came to the fore in 1988, when he hoped to challenge then Vice-President George HW Bush.

But after an early victory in Iowa, his campaign ran out of money, and he eventually lost the nomination to Michael Dukakis.

Trade union support

He ran in this latest campaign as an old-style Democrat, proposing large-scale government programmes including universal healthcare.

He said he would pay for these programmes by rolling back President Bush's tax cuts.

In his stump speech, he laid out a strong economic agenda and said his presidency would have three goals: Jobs, jobs and jobs.

He called for an international minimum wage and strong worker protection in trade pacts, which won him support from most major unions in the US.

While having supported the war against Iraq, Mr Gephardt gave passionate critiques of President Bush in his campaign appearances that seemed to have played well with the Democrat Party faithful.

But the challenge for Mr Gephardt, said Dan Balz of the Washington Post, was "to try to convince Democrats that he has not been around too long, that he can be fresh enough to excite voters."