Gore Trims VP List To Six -- Senators Have Inside Track / Bradley could be `wild card' pick

2000-08-04 04:00:00 PDT Figure Eight Island, N.C. -- As he concludes his weeklong beach vacation, Vice President Al Gore said yesterday that he has narrowed his list of running mate finalists to six -- with "one wild card" still in the mix.

The most serious attention is being focused on a handful of Baby Boomer senators -- John Edwards of North Carolina, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, according to two Democrats who have spoken to Gore in recent days.

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri, despite assertions that his top priority is regaining control of the House, is also under consideration, the two sources said.

The others on the list being circulated yesterday were Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, although sources said they are long shots.

Strolling on the beach of this gated community with his wife, Tipper, the presumptive Democratic nominee was asked if he had narrowed the prospects to three.

"Not yet," he said. "It's down to six, with one wild card that I haven't completely eliminated."

One Gore strategist said Bill Bradley may be the late entrant into the vice presidential sweepstakes, in part because the two former rivals had an amiable visit before their joint appearance in Wisconsin last month. Neither Gephardt nor Bradley, a former U.S. senator from New Jersey who lost to Gore in the primaries, has turned over any documents for the vetting process being conducted by former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

However, aides to the two men and Gore noted that their voting records and financial status are well-known.

Gore's political advisers eagerly circulated the name of Shaheen, who has provided Christopher with material for a thorough review, according to one New Hampshire Democrat close to the governor and one Democratic source in Washington. But Shaheen, who is up for re-election in November, said yesterday that she is not interested in the job.

Other news reports have mentioned Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. But Kerrey's dislike of President Clinton and Gore is visceral, and his positions on entitlement reform run counter to Gore's campaign platform.

Perhaps most notable in what was described yesterday by a senior Gore official as an "authorized leak" of a list of six contenders was the absence of Sen. Bob Graham of Florida.

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WHO'S LEFT?

A look at the six possible running mates on Gore's short list:

John Kerry, 56, a Massachusetts senator and decorated Vietnam veteran who turned against the war, would be the pick with lowest risk. One downside: Massachusetts, a Democratic bastion, is not a battleground state.

Evan Bayh, 44, is a first-term senator and former governor from Indiana, a traditionally Republican state. He and Dick Gephardt are the only finalists from the Midwest, where most analysts believe the election will be decided. Bayh could help Gore portray his ticket as the new generation of American politics. But some Democrats wonder if Bayh has enough experience. They also remember his sleepy 1996 convention speech.

John Edwards, 47, is a trial lawyer who defeated Republican Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina in 1998. Gore considers him an intellectual and rising political star. Others note that he has only two years in the Senate.

Joseph Lieberman, 58, is a second-term senator from Connecticut. An orthodox Jew, he was one of the first Democrats to chastise Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and Gore advisers have said that action would give him standing to help the Democratic ticket shed the weight of Clinton's misdeeds.

Jeanne Shaheen, 53, is a two- term New Hampshire governor who backed Gore in her state's primary, which he won. If Gore offered her the job, Shaheen said yesterday, she would reject it. Still, Gore might be tempted to put a woman on the ticket to undercut Bush's appeals to female voters, who supported Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

Richard Gephardt, 59, is the House Minority leader whose home state of Missouri is a key battleground. His ties to labor would help Gore improve his standing with liberals. Gore thinks Gephardt would help make his case on Social Security, prescription drugs and other populist issues.

Associated Press