Associated Press [via WSJ.com - December 8, 2003 5:27 p.m.]
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Former Vice President Al Gore intends to endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination, a dramatic move that could cement Mr. Dean's position in the fight for the party's nod.
Mr. Gore, who lost to George W. Bush in the disputed 2000 election, has agreed to endorse Mr. Dean in Harlem in New York City on Tuesday and then travel with the former Vermont governor to Iowa, sight of the Jan. 19 caucuses which kick off the nominating process, said a Democratic source close to Mr. Gore.
The source said Mr. Dean will return from Iowa in time for Tuesday night's Democratic debate in New Hampshire.
Mr. Dean's campaign declined to comment.
Mr. Gore won the popular vote by half a million votes in 2000 but conceded to Mr. Bush after a tumultuous 36-day recount in Florida and a 5-4 Supreme Court vote against him. Mr. Gore's concession came Dec. 13, 2000.
The Gore endorsement would come just weeks after two key union endorsements boosted Mr. Dean's candidacy. Mr. Gore's approval adds further evidence to Mr. Dean's case that he can carry the party's mantle next November and is more than an Internet-driven outsider.
Mr. Dean leads in key early state polls in New Hampshire and Iowa, and is trying to persuade Democrats wary of his lack of foreign-policy experience and missteps on the campaign that his nomination is all but certain.
Former vice president Gore is widely popular among key primary voters due in part to the widespread belief among Democratic activists that the 2000 election was taken from him. In several surveys of Democratic voters, Mr. Gore and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who have said repeatedly they would not seek the nomination next year, have fared better than the announced candidates.
Besides his 2000 bid, Mr. Gore ran for president unsuccessfully in 1988 and then, while a Tennessee senator, was surprised to be picked as Bill Clinton's running mate in 1992. Though Mr. Gore often was criticized as overly controlled and cautious, he was praised for the work he did as an influential vice president.
He used his expertise in science and technology to be the White House point man on telecommunications reform and the information superhighway.
After losing the 2000 election, Mr. Gore accepted the job of vice chairman of Metropolitan West Financial, a Los Angeles-based financial services holding company. He juggled that job with his duties as college professor, guest speaker and author.
Mr. Gore announced Dec. 15, 2002 that he would not make another run for the White House, saying a rematch with Mr. Bush would force him to revisit the recount ordeal of the 2000 race.