A Shrinking Democratic Field

The Democratic presidential field for 2000, once expected to be a crowded, contentious free-for-all, is shaping up to Al Gore's liking. He faces few challengers, allowing him to play the vice presidency to fullest advantage.

As Gore traveled Wednesday to New Hampshire for the 14th time in five years and his first trip there in 1999, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt was announcing that he will bypass the presidential campaign and try instead to become speaker of the House in 2000.

Hardly a surprise, Gephardt's announcement was nonetheless a high-five affair for a Gore team already brimming with confidence. They lost their most potent party rival and picked up support from a few top Gephardt allies in this first-in-the-nation primary state.

"This clears the field a bit," said Joe Keefe, one of about a dozen New Hampshire activists buzzing around Gore and his staff all day.

Sen. Bob Kerrey, a fiery Nebraskan unafraid to confront President Clinton and his vice president, decided in December not to seek the nomination. Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who was carving himself a niche in the party's increasingly unattended left wing, backed out of the race last month.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson are still pondering runs, though the later they start, the tougher the climb.

Gore's only announced challenger, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, has the star appeal of a Hall of Fame basketball player but still must prove he has the money and the message to seriously challenge Gore. He has visited Iowa and New Hampshire, the two earliest voting states in 2000, without explaining forcefully why Democrats should abandon their vice president.

Money is not Gore's problem. Message is.

The impeachment saga has made it difficult for him to explain why he should succeed Mr. Clinton, other than saying: It's my turn. He is methodically framing a message by taking credit for the booming economy and staking claim to White House initiatives such as worker retraining and controlling community sprawl.

Gore surrounded himself Wednesday with students and teachers at a Nashua job training facility, promising more federal aid to workers preparing for better jobs.

Bradley's allies think a two-man field would favor their candidate, giving him sole claim to any anti-Gore or pro-change sentiment. Indeed, Gore advisers had welcomed talk of a bigger field last year, saying it would dilute the strength of challengers.

Now they've changed their tune, arguing that Gore has had enough time to build an almost insurmountable operation in New Hampshire and other key primary states.

Written By Ron Fournier, AP Political Writer