John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) was the forty-fourth President of the United States. He served as the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2004 before being sworn in as President on January 20, 2005. Kerry ran for re-election against Republican Senator John McCain in 2008, re-elected on November 4, garnering 53.8% of the vote. Some notable events of President Kerry's first term include withdrawing all U.S. troops from Iraq, a failed attempt at healthcare reform, the government response to Hurricane Katrina, and the leading and banking crisis.