John Kerry came closer to becoming president than Mitt Romney did. Kerry lost the 2004 election with 251 electoral votes to incumbent George W. Bush’s 286. If one state — Ohio — had gone for Kerry instead of Bush, the Democrat would have been president. In 2012, Romney lost with 206 electoral votes to incumbent Barack Obama’s 332. No single state could have turned the election for Romney.

It’s little remembered now, but as the 2008 election approached, Kerry gave serious thought to running again. In 2006, Kerry found himself back in Iowa and New Hampshire, laying the groundwork for a second campaign. Even when polls of Democrats found him behind Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Al Gore — at that time, Obama wasn’t even on many lists — Kerry still pronounced himself “very encouraged” as he contemplated a return race.