Gore Narrows Field of Possible Running Mates

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. —  Al Gore has whittled the list of potential running mates for the Democratic presidential ticket to just six--four senators, the party’s House leader and a governor, top Gore advisors disclosed Thursday.

Among the contenders is Gov. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who had not figured prominently in the speculation, at least in public. And a Shaheen aide insisted Thursday that if asked to join the ticket, the governor would decline.

The other potential running mates are Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana, John Edwards of North Carolina, John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, according to sources close to the vice president.

Gore, scheduled today to end a weeklong vacation near here, is set to introduce his running mate Tuesday in Nashville, his campaign headquarters.

If Gore already has made his choice, he has not yet offered it officially, two confidants said Thursday. But that call could come any day, given the logistics of arranging for the running mate and his or her family to reach Nashville by no later than Monday night or Tuesday morning, they said.

Several Gore advisors confirmed the names on the short list, although they did not rule out that the vice president could settle on someone else.

Gore kept such speculation alive by saying Thursday that his list may be slightly longer. Talking to reporters during an afternoon beach walk with his wife, Tipper, Gore said he still had in mind “a wild card that I haven’t completely eliminated.” Later, he referred to “a couple of people” in that category.

The surfacing of the short list diverted some of the attention focused on the acceptance speech Thursday night by Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush at the GOP convention.

Gore is said to view most of those on his list--with the exception of Gephardt--as politically fresh faces who would highlight the generational differences with the GOP team.

Though Dick Cheney, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is only 59, he has long been a player in national politics, serving as President Ford’s chief of staff 25 years ago and as President Bush’s Defense secretary during the Persian Gulf War a decade ago. Gore’s campaign has characterized Cheney’s selection as “retro” and the epitome of “old-guard Republican politics.”

Each of Gore’s running-mate prospects brings a variety of assets--but also potential weaknesses Republicans would seek to exploit.

Shaheen, 53, is a personable politician whose husband, William, campaigned tirelessly for Gore in New Hampshire last winter. During that primary campaign, Gore and the Shaheens developed a strong rapport.

Shaheen is little-known beyond New England, but she could help improve Gore’s support among women--a crucial voting bloc for Democrats. She would become just the second woman picked for a major-party presidential ticket. The first was Geraldine A. Ferraro, who ran with Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale in 1984.

Pamela Walsh, Shaheen’s press secretary, said that if Gore were to offer the governor the post, “she would decline.” Shaheen is up for reelection in November and “she wants to be governor,” Walsh said.

Selecting one of the senators--especially Lieberman or Kerry--could hamper the Democrats’ chances of winning control of the Senate, in which the Republicans hold a 54-46 edge.

Connecticut and Massachusetts have Republican governors, one of whom would appoint a Senate successor should the Democratic ticket win. In Edwards’ North Carolina and Bayh’s Indiana, Democrats hold the governorship.

Similarly, choosing Gephardt, 59, could hinder Democratic efforts to reclaim control of the House. Gephardt is in line to become House speaker and has been devoting all his political energies to overcoming the GOP’s 223-210 margin in the chamber. The Democrats could capture a plurality by gaining seven seats.

Gephardt has said he wants to continue to focus on the battle for the House and “nothing substantial has changed” in his thinking, a Democratic source said Thursday.

Still, Gephardt could help solidify support for Gore from the Democratic base, especially labor. Moreover, Missouri is a key battleground state.

“The way it was left, if none of the other candidates panned out, they could come back to” Gephardt, the Democratic source said.

Kerry, like Gore, comes from a patrician background and has a reserved demeanor. The 56-year-old three-term senator is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who returned from Southeast Asia to lead several anti-war demonstrations in the early 1970s.

His war experiences--along with Gore’s own service in Vietnam as an Army journalist--would highlight the lack of active military service among the GOP candidates. Bush was in the Texas Air National Guard; Cheney never served.

Bayh, 44, is a first-term senator who served two terms as Indiana’s governor. Like Gore, Bayh is the son of a senator and grew up in Washington. He even attended the same prep school as Gore.

Edwards, 47, also is a first-term senator. He is a former trial lawyer who defeated a GOP incumbent in 1998. Gore regards Edwards highly and believes his experiences as a courtroom advocate for citizens would go over well on the campaign trail. But Republicans would criticize Edwards’ pick as showing Democrats are beholden to an overly litigious legal system.

Lieberman, 58, gained his national attention when he took to the Senate floor to lambaste Clinton during the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal. An Orthodox Jew serving his second Senate term, he would be the first member of his faith on a presidential ticket.

Gore, whose fund-raising in the 1996 presidential campaign has come under legal scrutiny, is said to believe that Lieberman’s moral standing would help fend off GOP attacks on Democratic ethics.

Gore’s list does not include several prominent Democrats who have figured in the running-mate speculation, including Sens. Bob Graham of Florida and Richard Durbin of Illinois and former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell of Maine.

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Gore’s Short List

Here are some of the political and personal characteristics of the six leading Democrats being considered for Al Gore’s running mate.

Evan Bayh, 44, Indiana senator

Popular former governor from traditionally GOP state

Generational contrast to GOP vice presidential pick Dick Cheney, 59

Similar pedigree as Gore: son of senator, product of prep schools

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John Edwards, 47, North Carolina senator

Little known nationally, but seen as rising star

Could help ticket carry key Southern state

Trial lawyer past will spark GOP attacks

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Richard A. Gephardt, 59, House minority leader from Missouri

Brings national name and stature to ticket

Favorite of the party’s liberal and labor bases

Fared poorly in 1988 presidential run

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John F. Kerry, 56, Massachusetts senator

Decorated Vietnam War veteran

Strong advocate of traditional party principles

Comes from region already safe for Gore

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Joseph I. Lieberman, 58, Connecticut senator

Orthodox Jew who stresses religious and moral issues

Among first Democrats to chastise President Clinton during Monica S. Lewinsky scandal

Often diverges from liberal party line

* Jeanne Shaheen, 53, New Hampshire governor

Would be only second woman picked for presidential ticket

Shown ability to attract moderate voters

Little tested on national stage

*

Times staff writers Matea Gold and Janet Hook contributed to this story.