Gore's Exit Opens Doors For Dems
Former Vice President Al Gore's decision not to run for president sets the stage for one of the most competitive Democratic nomination fights in years, and there were signs Monday that potential candidates were already scrambling to react the changed landscape.
In a taped interview aired Sunday, Gore announced exclusively on CBS' "60 Minutes" that he will not make a third run for president in two years.
"I've decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004," Gore told Lesley Stahl. "I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don't think that it's the right thing for me to do."
"I want to contribute to ending the current administration. I think the current policies have to be changed," continued the former Democratic Party standard bearer. "I think that my best way of contributing to that result may not be as a candidate this time around."
His move cleared the way for others willing to take Gore's place at the front of the pack.
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has already thrown his hat in. He might be joined soon by Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Senators John Edwards of North Carolina, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Peter Maer.
Lieberman, Gore's 2002 running mate, was the one most directly affected by Gore's decision, because he had said he would not run if Gore did.
"Through a long and distinguished public career, including service in Vietnam, the Congress and the White House, Al Gore has made a great contribution to our nation," said Lieberman in a statement released Monday. "Obviously, in light of Al's announcement, I will spend time over the coming holidays talking with my family and friends, and announce my decision about a campaign for the presidency in early January.
Gore's absence could lure additional Democrats into the race.
His decision to pull out mirrored similar moves by big name Democrats in earlier years, which proved crucial to the outcome of elections.
In 1968, sitting President Lyndon Johnson opted not to run for reelection after a strong showing by Sen. Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire primary. That left an opening for Sen. Robert Kennedy, who was on his way to the nomination when he was assassinated.
In 1972, stung by the Chappaquiddick incident, Sen. Edward Kennedy chose to forgo a candidacy, allowing little-known South Dakota Sen. George McGovern to secure the party banner and lose spectacularly to incumbent President Nixon. Kennedy also could have run in 1976, when polls showed him ahead. He didn't; instead, little-known Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter ran and won.
In 1992, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo was widely considered the front-runner until he suddenly took his name out of contention. Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton ultimately secured the nomination and the presidency.
Many Democrats said they were surprised by the timing of the decision, which came after Gore spent several days in New York discussing his plans with family members.
Gore won the presidential popular vote by a half-million votes in 2000 but conceded to Republican George Bush after a tumultuous 36-day recount in Florida and a 5-4 Supreme Court vote against him.
Party activists were critical of Gore for losing despite a booming economy and eight years of a Democratic administration. Gore even lost his home state of Tennessee; a victory there would have given him the White House.
Gore disappeared from public view after the 2000 election. Gradually re-entering politics over the past year, he campaigned for selected candidates this year, made trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, then spent the last month promoting a book on the family that he wrote with his wife, Tipper, and giving interviews.
A year ago, Gore accepted the job of vice chairman of Metropolitan West Financial, a Los Angeles-based financial services holding company. He has been juggling that job with his duties as college professor, speaker and author.
Associates have said Gore was getting more comfortable with the idea of life as a private citizen. He made an appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" this weekend that might have been considered risky were he seeking the presidency.
Gore ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988 and then, while a senator, was surprised to be picked as Mr. Clinton's running mate in 1992.
Mr. Clinton said Sunday night: "Al Gore was the best vice president America ever had. He would have been a fine president had history taken a different course two years ago."
Despite the praise Sunday night, not all Democratic activists spoke kindly of Gore over the last year. Many, both nationally and in key early primary and caucus states, said they were anxious for a fresh face. Gore said as much himself.
"I think that a campaign that would be a rematch between myself and President Bush would inevitably involve a focus on the past that would in some measure distract from the focus on the future that I think all campaigns have to be about," Gore said.