Thurs July 12 5:12 PM ET

Al Gore to Campaign for Democrats Next Year

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defeated 2000 Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore (news - web sites) plans to campaign next year for congressional candidates as he keeps his options open for another White House bid, a party spokeswoman said on Thursday.

``He will be out there campaigning for Democratic candidates and talking about the issues important to him and the party,'' said Maria Cardona, communications director for the Democratic National Committee (news - web sites).

The former vice president, who has told party leaders and longtime aides he has made no decision on whether he will run for the White House again, discussed his plans to campaign for fellow Democrats next year in a recent dinner meeting with DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Cardona said.

Gore has been in self-imposed political exile since last December, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) effectively ended one of the closest U.S. presidential elections in history by refusing to allow a hand count of disputed Florida ballots in Gore's battle against Republican George W. Bush.

Bush won the pivotal state-based Electoral College (news - web sites) to win the White House, although Gore got about a half million more votes than him nationwide.

The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper, first reported on Thursday Gore's plans to return to the campaign trail on behalf of fellow Democrats.

McAuliffe was quoted by the newspaper as saying: ``I've spoken to the vice president; he told me that he wants to wait until after the summer (and then) campaign extensively for candidates. He is keeping his options open.''

The Hill also reported Gore intended to hire two top Democratic fund-raisers, Brian Hardwick and Lon Johnson. The newspaper said Gore planned to create a political action committee that would enable him to raise and distribute money to Democratic candidates.

Gore spokeswoman Kiki Moore McLean declined comment on Thursday, saying the former vice president was not ready to make any announcements.

Gore has lived in suburban Virginia since leaving office in January. He plans to return to his home state of Tennessee later this month and open an office in Nashville.

'POSITIVE FOR THE PARTY'

Sen. John Kerry (news - bio - voting record) of Massachusetts, one of a half dozen congressional Democrats considering 2004 White House runs, said he was pleased Gore would seek to help Democrats next year win control of the House of Representatives and keep control of the Senate.

``I think its terrific,'' Kerry said. ``I think it is a positive for the party. Al Gore is a great person with a distinguished career.''

Kerry said: ``I don't know if he will run for president again. I have no idea. But it is not going to affect me.''

Kerry said he had raised more than $2 million in the past six months for his 2002 senatorial campaign. That money could be later funneled into a presidential war chest.

Mark Nevins, a spokesman with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Democrats would welcome Gore back to the campaign trail.

``Al Gore is a very popular figure in this country as he showed last year when he got more votes than Bush,'' Nevins said. ``We would be ready to utilize him in any way that suits his needs and our needs.''

A former member of Gore's 2000 presidential campaign said she believed Gore had an excellent post-election strategy.

``It was a good idea for him to basically take some time off,'' she said. ``Some complained he should be out there now speaking out. But Al Gore knows people don't want to see him or hear (him) right now.''

``I saw him last month and he was in good spirits,'' she said. ``He's spending time with his family and thinking about what got him involved in public service 25 years ago and where he goes from here.''

``I think it's good that he will be campaigning for fellow Democrats next year, but only Al Gore knows if he will run again. And right now I don't think he knows,'' she said.

-- Anonymous, July 12, 2001