Veterans of Al Gore’s past are quietly assembling a campaign to draft the former vice president into the 2008 presidential race — despite his repeated statements that he’s not running.
His top policy adviser from his 2000 presidential campaign and other key supporters met Thursday in Boston to mull a potential Gore campaign. The participants and Gore’s Nashville office both said Gore, who is in London, is not involved.
Elaine Kamarck, a veteran of the Clinton White House and Gore’s policy guru in 2000, said the meeting was informal and shouldn’t be taken as a sign there will be a Gore 2008 campaign.
Chris Mackin, a Boston consultant and Gore supporter, called it “an early stage conversation.” But he added: “We’re very serious about exploring this.”
Gore’s spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, said the only campaign Gore is on right now is against global warming.
“He so appreciates the sentiment behind efforts like this. But he’s been very clear he really has no intention of running for president in 2008,” she said.
Gore won a hard-fought primary campaign to become the Democratic nominee in 2000. He won the popular vote, but lost to President Bush after a messy legal challenge ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Since then, the former Tennessee senator has worked against global warming and served on corporate boards, including Google and Apple Inc. Due to a range of business ventures, aides have said Gore could spend as much as $50 million of his own money to launch a credible presidential run.