( CNN ) -- Now that embattled U.S . Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from secretary of state consideration , attention is turning toward Sen. John Kerry , D-Massachusetts , the other top candidate to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Republicans opposed to a Rice nomination have bandied about Kerry 's name for weeks , and Thursday , Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN that Kerry would be a `` popular choice with the Senate . '' It 's ironic that several prominent Republicans are rallying behind Kerry , just eight years after their party demonized him during his failed 2004 presidential campaign against President George W. Bush . Kerry remembered that experience in a statement he released about Rice . `` As someone who has weathered my share of political attacks and understands on a personal level just how difficult politics can be , I 've felt for her throughout these last difficult weeks , but I also know that she will continue to serve with great passion and distinction , '' Kerry said . If Kerry replaces Clinton , who replaces him ? The senior senator from Massachusetts is noted for the experience , gravitas and relationship-building skills that could help him succeed as the United States ' top diplomat . In his current role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , Kerry has traveled the globe on behalf of the Obama administration to mend frayed relationships . Most notably he has traveled to Pakistan after a series of incidents , including the raid that killed Osama bin Laden , that had set relations back . World travel is second nature to Kerry . While he was born in Denver , on December 11 , 1943 , he spent much of his childhood overseas , living in Berlin , then went to a Swiss boarding school at age 11 . Obama 's cabinet : Who 's in , who 's out ? After graduating from Yale University in 1966 , Kerry was deployed to Vietnam as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy . Kerry served as a gunboat officer on the Mekong Delta , earning the Silver Star , the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts . Upon his return home in the early 1970s , Kerry gained public recognition as the head of the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War and for his anti-war testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . Rice vs. Kerry : Weighing the odds . In 1972 , Kerry ran his first campaign , a losing effort for a congressional seat in Massachusetts . He eventually entered politics in 1982 as lieutenant governor under Massachusetts Gov . Michael Dukakis . Two years later , Kerry won the U.S. Senate seat he has held for five consecutive terms . The Vietnam experience came back to haunt Kerry during the 2004 presidential election . A Republican-funded group called `` Swift Boat Veterans for Truth '' aired campaign ads accusing Kerry of lying to receive two of his five combat decorations and criticizing his anti-war activism . The incumbent Bush won the Electoral College vote 292 to 252 and racked up 3 million more votes than Kerry nationwide . After winning his fifth senate race in 2008 , Kerry took over the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the next January . And while Kerry has a powerful voice outside the Obama administration in his current role , with Rice out of the running , a path to the Cabinet has one less obstacle for the man Sen. John McCain , R-Arizona , jokingly called `` Mr. Secretary '' last week . Read more : Rice once looked like shoo-in . Ted Barrett and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report from Washington .
Sen. John Kerry looks like the front-runner to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . Senate Republicans have been touting Kerry for that Cabinet post in recent weeks . Kerry has a long history of overseas experience , starting with his childhood .