Febrary 25, 1999

Gore -- A history with the caucuses

By Becki White
CyberCaucus 2000 News Service
Drake University

The year 2000 won't be the first time Iowa expected a visit from Vice President Al Gore during the caucuses. He has been to the first-in-the-nation caucuses before -- both as runningmate and presidential candidate.

1988

Al Gore always seems to be second in the limelight to powerful men and sex scandals. Gore ran for president in 1988 with other Democratic candidates like Michael Dukakis, Richard Gephardt, Jesse Jackson and the widely publicized Gary Hart.

Hart dropped out of the presidential race early on in the process in the wake of news of his extra-marital relationship with Miami model Donna Rice. He reentered the race close to the time of the Iowa caucuses, taking over the front pages of newspapers for the following weeks.

Gore made some early visits to Iowa, but wanted to focus on "Super Tuesday," a collection of primaries in the south.

Hart was reported the first-choice of caucus goers for the Democratic nominee in a Dec. 20, 1987 poll conducted by the Des Moines Register. In the same poll, Gore was reported the sixth choice with only 4 percent of the vote. In December 1987, the Register reported that Gore could likely win the vice presidential nomination but saw little opportunity for him in the presidential race.

Gore, who received little publicity compared to Hart, and eventually decided to bypass the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary to focus his campaigning almost entirely in the South. Gore ended the Iowa caucuses with a delegate strength reported at 0.0 percent. The News Election Service reported a 0.2 percent vote for Gore.

In the 1988 election, Gore captured more than three million votes and the Democratic contests in seven states.

1992

Gore, like most Democratic candidates, did little campaigning in Iowa in 1992. U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, a fourth generation Iowan, ran for president, and Iowa overwhelmingly supported this home-town candidate.

Gore was re-elected senator of Tennessee in 1990, becoming the only candidate in history to capture all of Tennessee's 95 countries. July 9, 1992, Gore became Bill Clinton's runningmate and was later inaugurated vice president of the United State Jan. 20, 1993.

1996

Gore reclaimed his place in Iowa during the 1996 nomination process. Prior to the election, Gore heavily campaigned for President Clinton and the Democratic party throughout Iowa. Jan. 21, 1995, Gore went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, urging people to attent the caucuses. He also campaigned in Debuque, Maquoketa, Clinton and Davenport, attempting to increase attemtion on the Democratic party.

2000

Gore made his first pre-2000 caucus trip to Iowa Dec. 10 to Des Moines and western Iowa. He is planning several visits in future months to increase his presence in the state.