FACTBOX: Profiles of presidential hopefuls

(Reuters) - Leading candidates in the race for the November 2008 U.S. presidential election are seeking to become the first woman, the first black or the first Mormon to occupy the White House.

Following are brief profiles of the main contenders:

DEMOCRATS:

HILLARY CLINTON, 60, would be the first woman president in U.S. history. Serves as senator from New York and was first lady when her husband Bill was president from 1993 to 2001. Has emphasized efforts to cover 47 million Americans without health insurance and criticized opponents for lack of experience. Has led most national opinion polls by double digits but is locked in tight fights in Iowa and New Hampshire.

JOHN EDWARDS, 54, is a former one-term senator from North Carolina and was the Democratic nominee for vice president in the 2004 election. Has made combating poverty a major campaign theme. Called his voting to authorize military action in Iraq a mistake and now urges withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. His wife Elizabeth is being treated for a recurrence of cancer.

BARACK OBAMA, 46, serves as a freshman U.S. senator representing Illinois and would be the first black president. Gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention before he was elected. Has opposed the Iraq war from the beginning and tried to cast himself as a Washington outsider. Has pulled nearly even with front-running Clinton in recent polls in Iowa and New Hampshire but trails nationally.

REPUBLICANS:

RUDY GIULIANI, 63, is a former New York mayor and has tried to boost his candidacy by speaking repeatedly about his leadership during the September 11, 2001, attacks. Widely shunned by most conservative voters because of his support for abortion rights, gun control and gay rights, but received endorsement from Christian evangelist Pat Robertson. Has led most national polls but behind in early primary voting states.

MIKE HUCKABEE, 52, is a bass-playing former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister from Hope, Arkansas, the birthplace of Bill Clinton. Has used his religious beliefs and support for constitutional bans on gay marriage and abortion to boost support from conservative voters. Known for his wit and humor but criticized for lack of knowledge on foreign policy.

JOHN MCCAIN, 71, a senator from Arizona, attended the U.S. Naval Academy and was shot down in 1967 over Vietnam. Spent 5-1/2 years as a prisoner of war. Has been a pro-business conservative and an abortion foe. Supports the Iraq war and argued for additional troops to quell the violence. Slowed by staff turnover and overspending in early days of his campaign but now building support in Iowa and New Hampshire.

MITT ROMNEY, 60, is a Harvard-educated former Massachusetts governor. Has tried to cast himself as a more conservative alternative, opposing gay rights and abortion rights although he once supported both. Romney is the fifth Mormon to seek the White House. Has turned to negative advertising and mailings as his poll leads in Iowa and New Hampshire have eroded.

(Writing by Jeremy Pelofsky and Paul Grant in Washington; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)