McCain to run for White House

Updated 10.40 Thu Mar 01 2007

Keywords: John McCain

Republican Senator John McCain is to run for the US Presidency in 2008.

Mr McCain, who suffered a bitter loss to George W Bush in 2000, will make a formal announcement in early April after a trip to Iraq.

"I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States" - John McCain

The Arizona senator confirmed he would join the race for the White House on a US television chat show.

"I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States," he said. He added that he would give a formal speech declaring his candidacy in early April.

Mr McCain said he would visit Iraq first and that his campaign would be about whether he had the vision, experience and knowledge to lead the nation.

There had been little doubt that Mr McCain would become a full-fledged White House candidate and he had been expected to make his candidacy official in the spring.