While the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination is filled to the brim already, the Democratic field is significantly smaller. There’s been rumors lately that this could change though, especially with former Vice President Al Gore’s name suddenly popping up.
BuzzFeed reported Thursday that Gore’s supporters have been talking about him possibly running for the Oval Office. A senior Democrat advisor told the site that supporters are “getting the old gang together.”
However, a friend of Gore’s told The Tennessean that the BuzzFeed report is “off base.”
“That would be news to me, so I think somebody's off base,” the friend said. “I've heard nothing along these lines, and I'd be very surprised.”
“I'm certain that Al Gore is not doing anything to fan this. And no one that I'm aware of is doing any planning or organizing whatsoever to do anything like this,” another Gore insider told The Tennessean.
Gore, 67, won the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election, but lost the electoral vote to President George W. Bush. Since then, Gore has devoted himself to environmental causes and other business ventures. Prior to his two terms as Vice President, Gore served in the House and Senate, representing Tennessee.
Talk about Gore running is possibly a sign that Democrats aren’t too sure about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, especially as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders makes gains in polls. And there has been chatter about incumbent Vice President Joe Biden running in 2016.
photo of Al Gore at SXSW in March by Daniel S Levine