CAMPAIGN ’88 : Gaps Appear as Gore Nears Key Test in N.Y.

Only a week before the primary that is expected to make or break his presidential campaign, Sen. Albert Gore Jr.’s schedule is curiously lacking a baby to kiss or a rush-hour commuter’s hand to pump.

One might expect him to be rushing upstate, downstate, all around New York state to drum up support among still-undecided Democrats. But Gore’s itinerary as he moves into the homestretch for next Tuesday’s primary has large gaps and appears to be evolving hour by hour.

Between candidate debates and formal party events, his staff fills the time--including a five-hour vacuum in Tuesday afternoon’s agenda--by hastily arranging meetings with newspaper editorial boards.

The Tennessee Democrat has run a distant third in virtually all primaries and caucuses since his impressive showing on Super Tuesday, March 8. New York is seen as a crucial test of Gore’s ability to draw votes outside his Southern base. It offers 255 convention delegates, the largest prize thus far in the 1988 campaign and more than any other state except California.

Gore campaign manager Fred Martin dismissed suggestions that the apparent disarray is a sign that the campaign is scaling back in the face of bleak prospects. He pointed out that fund-raising continues at a vigorous clip, including a $1,000-a-plate event Tuesday night expected to bring in $400,000.

For his part, Gore insists that he is in the race to win, and that his campaign has “enthusiasm and momentum on our side.”

Although polls heavily favor Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gore predicted: “We are going to have a surprise April 19. . . . The state of New York has been fair to underdogs and the state of New York has frequently listened to an underdog who has something to say.”