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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2004

Arlington, VA — With just one week remaining before the beginning of the Iowa caucuses, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) has secured official statements on chiropractic care from each of the six leading Democratic presidential candidates. ACA secured these statements through close cooperative efforts with the Iowa Chiropractic Society and politically active doctors of chiropractic across the country.

"Though they may often disagree on other issues, the leading presidential candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination appear to completely agree on the value and benefits of chiropractic care," said ACA President Donald Krippendorf, DC. "The ACA is encouraged by this enthusiastic support and more determined than ever to ensure that it is maintained by our elected leaders long after Election Day."

Governor Howard Dean, Congressman Dick Gephardt, Senator John Kerry, Senator John Edwards, General Wesley Clark and Senator Joe Lieberman round out the list of candidates who have submitted statements.

The ACA, the largest national organization representing doctors of chiropractic, has taken an active role in the months leading up to the January 19, 2004 Iowa precinct caucuses in evaluating the health care policy positions of each of the announced presidential contenders. This effort has included meetings with major candidates and senior campaign officials, and the use of ACA's specially designed issues questionnaire.

"The candidates are recognizing the political clout of Iowa's chiropractic constituency," said F. Dow Bates, DC, ACA Iowa Delegate. "The numbers speak for themselves. Iowa is home to thousands of doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic assistants, tens of thousands of chiropractic patients and the largest chiropractic college in the world. The road to victory in the Iowa caucuses goes straight through the offices of the state's doctors of chiropractic."

Providing additional outreach were Keith Overland, DC, ACA Connecticut delegate, who serves as a health care policy adviser to the Lieberman campaign, and Dan Redwood, DC, of Virginia, who helped secure General Clark's statement.