WASHINGTON (REUTERS) — Former Vice President Al Gore will endorse Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean Tuesday, political sources said, handing Dean a crucial political prize and solidifying his position at the front of the 2004 pack.
Gore, who won the popular vote in 2000 but lost the White House to President Bush after a bitter 36-day recount battle in Florida, will appear with the former Vermont governor at a morning event in Harlem in New York City, the sources said.
The pair will then travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a joint appearance later in the day before Dean returns to New Hampshire for a Democratic debate Tuesday night.
The endorsement from Gore, who considered and rejected another White House run nearly a year ago, gives the insurgent Dean the backing of one of the party’s most senior establishment figures and greater credibility in the face of charges that he is a product of the left-wing fringe.
It also feeds his momentum, reinforced by recent labor-union endorsements and a wave of political polls showing him opening a wide lead in the first primary state of New Hampshire and a smaller lead in the caucus state of Iowa, where he is battling with Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt.
The endorsement is a particularly harsh blow for Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Gore’s vice presidential running mate during the 2000 contest, who had promised he would not run if Gore did.
A Lieberman spokesman said the senator had not heard from Gore by Monday evening, when word of the endorsement was out.
Lieberman respects Gore
“I have a lot of respect for Al Gore — that is why I kept my promise not to run if he did,” Lieberman said in a statement, adding that he was “proud” to have been Gore’s running mate.
“Ultimately, the voters will make the determination, and I will continue to make my case about taking our party and nation forward,” he said.
Lieberman last year criticized Gore’s populist campaign themes and has been a strong supporter of the Iraq war. Like Dean, Gore has been outspoken against the war, although he has largely confined himself in the past year to periodic public speeches attacking Bush.
The Dean campaign and Gore’s office had no public comment on Gore’s decision. Some of Dean’s rivals were taken by surprise, and most tried to minimize the effect of the endorsement.
“We don’t think the Gore endorsement will carry much weight,” said Jamal Simmons, spokesman for retired Gen. Wesley Clark. Clark’s campaign issued a statement noting that more than 20 former Gore staffers worked for Clark.
“This election is about the future, not about the past,” Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said in a statement. “This election will be decided by voters, across the country, beginning with voters in Iowa.”
A former Gore staff member said the move would help Dean in Iowa. “There is still goodwill among Democrats for Al Gore,” said Jeff Link, Gore’s Iowa campaign manager in the state in 2000.
A spokesman for Gephardt pointed out that Dean had worked against Gore on several key Democratic issues.
“Dick Gephardt fought side-by-side with Al Gore to pass the Clinton economic plan, pass the assault-weapons ban and defend against Republican attacks on Medicare and affirmative action,” Gephardt spokesman Erik Smith said. “On each of these issues, Howard Dean was on the wrong side.”