POLITICS 88 : In N.Y., He Generates Irritation, Little Enthusiasm : Gore Under Pressure to Withdraw

An hour after the polls opened Tuesday, Sen. Albert Gore Jr. was generating more irritation than enthusiasm as he tried to wring a few extra votes from the thousands of commuters who were pouring into Manhattan from Penn Station.

“Why does he have to stand at the top of the escalator and screw everything up?” one woman groaned as she elbowed her way into the knot of reporters and cameras surrounding the candidate.

Her words could be almost an epitaph for the Gore’s 1988 presidential campaign.

At best, most had predicted that he could become a “spoiler,” whose candidacy would trip up Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and possibly hand the nomination to the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Complicates Party’s Choice

But as Gore’s campaign shows signs of coming to a close, it appears that the 40-year-old senator’s effort has merely prolonged and complicated the party’s agonizing choice of a candidate. This year’s campaign also may be remembered as Gore’s dress rehearsal for 1992.

Now Gore finds himself under tremendous pressure from close advisers and many in the party to bow out and let the two survivors finish their struggle. Adding to the strain will be the fact that Gore, whose campaign already is $1.6 million in debt, is virtually certain to lose federal matching funds, except to retire existing debt.

Campaign strategists said late Tuesday that Gore had suspended advertising in Pennsylvania, which will hold its primary next Tuesday.

His longer-range decision is expected to be made public at a press conference Thursday afternoon, after two fund-raisers in Texas today.

Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter, a close friend and adviser, said he advised Gore to “gracefully get out” of the race, although he declined to say whether Gore will drop out. “I told him he should . . . let this one conclude,” McWherter said from Nashville, Tenn.

Some supporters who had jammed into an overheated hotel ballroom refused to accept the inevitable.

“Hang in! Hang in!” one shouted. Another added: “We can win!”

But Gore did not encourage them, and his tone was one of resignation as he thanked his supporters.

He no longer talked about his hopes for a victory, but instead said he would be consulting with his advisers to decide “how best we can carry on the cause that we have been advancing.”

“I’ve learned from my opponents, and they have learned from me, and I think together we are going to teach the Republicans a lesson they won’t forget in November,” Gore added.

Strategists blamed Gore’s resounding defeat on his inability to win recognition as a serious contender.

“We entered New York as the underdog, and we held our position,” campaign manager Fred Martin said.

John Connorton, New York co-chairman, added: “Clearly, we got squeezed between two candidates waging a highly visible, aggressive campaign. . . . Very often, voters will go in and decide that maybe they will waste their vote with a candidate who will come in third.”

Koch Role Debated

Analysts were divided over whether Mayor Edward I. Koch’s endorsement ultimately proved a plus for Gore. Koch fanned racial tensions by repeatedly denouncing Jackson and criticizing the black candidate’s stand on policy in the Middle East.

Koch went so far as to call Jackson a liar and to say that any Jew or supporter of Israel “would be crazy” to vote for him.

Asked late Tuesday whether he made a mistake in criticizing Jackson so harshly, Koch said: “From Gore’s point of view, I did.”

However, Gore insisted that Koch’s endorsement had been a boost and pointedly thanked the mayor publicly late Tuesday night.