Gore to Suspend or Quit Race Today, Sources Predict

Sen. Albert Gore Jr., who ran a distant and disappointing third in Tuesday’s New York primary, will bow out of the presidential race today, sources in his campaign said.

With Gore’s decision, only two survivors--Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson--remain in what began last year as a crowded field running for the Democratic nomination.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Gore was still struggling to decide between two options: officially suspending his campaign--which would allow his 421 delegates to attend this summer’s Democratic convention--or taking the less expensive and cleaner route of simply pulling out of the race.

Receives No Encouragement

As Gore consulted with his supporters, he was receiving no encouragement to continue actively campaigning, one source said. Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter, a close adviser, has said publicly that he urged the senator to “gracefully get out and let this one conclude.”

One concern for Gore, who at 40 is the youngest presidential aspirant, is preserving his stature and the regard of his party for a possible second run in 1992.

If Gore suspends his campaign, it would be only for the sake of his delegates, not because Gore believes he could re-enter at a later time, the adviser said.

Among Gore’s delegates are early supporters and influential Southern politicians who might otherwise be excluded from their party’s convention. A source said it is important that Gore end his race without “undercutting the people who have earned their slots” at the convention.

New York as Acid Test

New York had been considered the acid test for the Tennessee senator, who had vaulted into the upper tier of candidates by winning six contests in the Super Tuesday round of primaries on March 8.

His supporters had argued that as the most centrist of the Democratic candidates, Gore stood the best chance of beating Vice President George Bush in November. In particular, they said, he could attract many white Southerners who had defected to the Republican Party in recent years.

In successive primaries and caucuses, he had finished no better than third and failed to convince skeptics that he could draw large support outside his Southern base. In New York, he received only 10% of the Democratic vote.

Hopes to Cut Debt

Gore was in Texas Wednesday for two fund-raisers.