Gore Stresses His Overall Electability as He Goes All Out in Illinois

Charged up by his impressive showing on Super Tuesday, Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr. flew into Illinois Wednesday portraying himself as the most electable of the three Democrats who now lead the pack in the race for delegates.

“Voters will now be asking which of the candidates who emerged on Tuesday can win in November,” Gore told reporters before leaving Nashville, Tenn.

Gore, who has 346.8 delegates, according to the Associated Press, contended that Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis (456.5 delegates) and the Rev. Jesse Jackson (395.55) represent the liberal wing of the Democratic Party that has lost four of the last five presidential elections.

“Anybody who wants a common-sense, moderate alternative . . . look at the Al Gore campaign,” Gore told steel workers at a plant in Chicago Wednesday afternoon.

Although his “electability” has become a major theme for Gore, the steel workers broke into applause and cheers when the senator mentioned another theme--the populist message that worked well for him the last two weeks in the South.

Word to Working People

“Working men and women all over this country are hungry for change,” Gore said. “It is time to ask how (a policy decision) affects you people in hard hats, how it affects young parents struggling to raise their children.”

In an interview Wednesday, Gore said the results on Tuesday--when he won in six states, competed strongly in other states and emerged as a major contender for the Democratic nomination--vindicated his decision to concentrate on Super Tuesday rather than on the earlier contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“Tuesday was sweet,” Gore said as he slumped in a seat on his jet and picked at a fruit plate. “And it was all the sweeter because of the shovels full of dirt coming down on my head,” a reference to political professionals who were writing him off as late as Tuesday morning.

In the interview, Gore also hinted that he will step up his attacks on Dukakis in the coming weeks.

“(Dukakis) has been a good governor of Massachusetts,” Gore said, “and I think he should stay as governor.

‘Vague and Fuzzy’

“His program for the country is so vague and fuzzy as to have no substance. That’s true in domestic policy and it is especially true in foreign policy.

“Anybody who talks to him about foreign policy and defense policy comes away with a question mark about his experience,” said Gore, who is an acknowledged arms control expert after 12 years in the House and Senate.

When Gore landed in Chicago, he said: “We are going to campaign full blast in Illinois,” which has its primary on Tuesday.

He acknowledged, however, that competition from two favorite sons, Jackson and Sen. Paul Simon, would make it hard for him to win the state.

Gore said he was concentrating more on winning delegates, which are elected by congressional district, than on the presidential “beauty contest.”

His political director for the state, Larry Perlman, said that Gore would concentrate on districts in southern Illinois, which are more conservative than those around Chicago, but that he would also appeal to white ethnic voters in Chicago, who he thinks will be receptive to Gore’s concern about family values and his call for a strong defense.

TV, Radio Spots Set

So far, Perlman said, Gore has spent only $7,000 in Illinois, but he plans to begin television and radio commercials today.

“Between $700,000 and $1 million would (pay for) a saturation of the television markets we want in Illinois,” Perlman said, but he added that he did not know if Gore would spend that much.

As he enters this phase of his candidacy, Gore faces a major decision: How hard should he attack Dukakis?

On the plane Wednesday morning, Gore read a news story aloud to his wife, Tipper.

The writer suggested that Gore had to decide Wednesday whether he wants to be President or vice president--that if he wants to be President, he must go after Dukakis and draw a sharp distinction between them.

“I have decided,” Gore said, grinning. “I want to be President.”