Hope among Gore backers of another WH run Nick Juliano

Published: Tuesday May 8, 2007 Print This Email This Half of Al Gore's major fundraisers from his 2000 campaign are not backing a 2008 contender, in the hope the former vice president will enter the race, the Washington Times reports today. "If he wants to run, I would be supportive of that ... I just don't see any reason for him not to run," H.E. "Sonny" Cauthen Jr. told the Times. Cauthen said he has been courted by other campaigns but is waiting to hear Gore's plans before committing to anyone else. Cauthen may learn more about those plans when he meets this month with about 20 Gore supporters and fundraisers at a private dinner that has fueled speculation about Gore's future, reports the Montgomery Advertiser. Speculation over Gore's possible candidacy has persisted even though the man who won the popular vote in 2000 has demurred when the subject has come up. Gore generally says he has no intention of running, but he made a mock announcement speech before the orchestra cut him off at the Academy Awards this year. At least 12 of 25 major donors who helped raise more than $100,000 for Gore are so far sitting out this campaign, the Times reports. Although he has not campaigned since the disputed end of his last presidential campaign, Gore holds his own in polls of Democratic voters; some show him on a par with former Sen. John Edwards, though he trails frontrunners Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Gore's strong showing is in part because of his recent star turn as an environmental advocate. The Inconvenient Truth, based on Gore's global warming presentation, won the best documentary Oscar for 2006. A Gore spokeswoman told the Times, however, that Gore "has been very clear that he has no intention of running for president." Appearing earlier this year on CBS' The Early Show, Gore shrugged off suggestions that he might seek the White House again. "Well, you know, I worked in the White House for eight years and tried very hard to solve this crisis and found that ... the one element that was most needed was a sea change in public opinion to empower the politicians in both parties to do the right thing here," Gore told The Early Show's Harry Smith in February. "And so I'm involved in a different kind of campaign to try to change enough minds to make it a new reality so that whoever runs will hear it from the voters, and hear it as a demand that they act." Smith persisted, "So I take it you won't announce your candidacy at the Oscars or on our program now?" "No I'm not announcing anything today," Gore said.



