• Must be natural-born citizen of the United States

• Must be at least 35 years old

• Must have been a resident of the United States for fourteen years [1]

Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. [2]

Hawaii became a U.S. state on August 21, 1959. [3] Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii two years later, on August 4, 1961. [4] Obama is therefore a natural-born U.S. citizen and thus eligible to be president.

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Is McCain a natural-born citizen, and thus eligible to be president?

Get the facts at McCain Fact Check.

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[1] Constitution of the United States Article II, Section 1 Senate.gov

[2] Constitution of the United States Amendment XIV Senate.gov

[3] Wikipedia. Hawaii

[4] New York Times. Barack Obama

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Additional Resources:

Snopes.com: Obama: Native Son

Snopes.com: Obama: Birth Certificate