Sen. Gore, 39, Enters Race for President : First Southerner, Youngest in Field, Stresses Rule of Law

Sen. Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee today began his dark-horse quest at age 39 to become the youngest President in the nation’s history, saying he is seeking the 1988 Democratic nomination “to restore the rule of law and respect for common sense to the White House.”

Gore, the first Southerner to enter the race, acknowledged “the new and powerful role the South will play in selecting our presidential nominees next year.”

The Vietnam veteran and one-time divinity student was quick to add, “I am not running as a Southern candidate, but as a national candidate from the South and proud of it.”

Father, Wife at Side

Gore made his formal announcement on the steps of the Smith County Courthouse in his family’s hometown just outside Nashville. His father, long a senator and representative from Tennessee, was at his side, as was his wife, Tipper, a crusader against obscene rock lyrics and X-rated movies.

The South has added clout in 1988 because all the region’s states save one will vote in primaries or caucuses March 8, 1988, the Super Tuesday of the primary season.

Gore is the sixth candidate to enter the Democratic battle, but he may not be the only Southerner. Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia is under intense pressure to declare his intentions, while Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton has promised an announcement of his plans soon.

‘Young, Restless Nation’

Gore, the youngest of the presidential candidates, faced head-on the question of his relative youth, declaring: “We are a young and restless nation.”

Referring to the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960 to follow Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Oval Office, he added:

“Twenty-seven years ago, the voters of America, looking for the strength and hope of a new generation, replaced the oldest man ever to serve in the office of the presidency with the youngest ever to be elected to that office. I believe they are ready to do so again,” he said.

Gore criticized what he sees as a litany of wrongdoing in the Reagan White House, saying Americans “have been shaken by the betrayal of public trust, the theft of public money, the shredding of public documents and the dishonesty of public officials.

“I seek this office to restore the rule of law and respect for common sense to the White House,” he said.

In a Gore administration, he pledged, “Any government official who steals from the American people or lies to the U.S. Congress will be fired immediately.”