Gore in Final Stages of Choosing Running Mate

Vice President Al Gore neared a decision on his running mate Sunday as he held a closed-door meeting with his closest advisors to discuss the matter.

Gore convened the high-level session in a hotel suite immediately upon arriving here late Sunday afternoon following a flight from Long Island, N.Y.

Among the meeting’s participants were the vice president’s brother-in-law and Washington attorney Frank Hunger; former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who has directed Gore’s search; and top campaign aides, led by Bill Daley and Donna Brazile, the chairman and manager of Gore’s campaign, respectively.

Arriving at the Loews Vanderbilt Plaza Hotel here, Christopher told reporters:

“We’ve tried to do it in a professional manner and be respectful of the feelings of the others involved. As I say, we’re coming to the end of the road and I hope I’ve gathered material, with the help of other people, to enable the vice president to make a sound decision on this.”

The meeting lasted nearly two hours, after which Chris Lehane, the vice president’s campaign press secretary, said Gore has not made a final decision.

“He has not made up his mind,” Lehane said Sunday. “He’s still in the final stages of the deliberative process, and he will not make a final decision today.”

Gore is scheduled to publicly introduce his vice presidential running mate at noon Tuesday here. But Lehane insisted that Gore has not made any calls to his choice and to the also-rans.

Gore has confirmed that he is considering six prospects, although he has said several times now that he could still choose an “out-of-the-box” longshot.

According to campaign officials, the six potential Gore running mates are Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina, John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Evan Bayh of Indiana and Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut; House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri; and New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.

Daley said Sunday that all the candidates on Gore’s short list are highly qualified. He also refused to drop any hints about leading contenders, but he dismissed specific allegations against some of the prospects named on Gore’s short list.

“They all have their strengths,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

In addition to picking his running mate, Gore is hard at work on his acceptance speech, scheduled for delivery on the night of Aug. 17 at the Democratic convention in Los Angeles. The vice president has kept his laptop computer within reach, often putting it to use during long car rides or airplane flights.

Earlier Sunday, Gore was in Sag Harbor on New York’s Long Island, attending services at Christ Episcopal Church.

Accompanied by the widow of Ron Brown, the former Commerce secretary, the vice president briefly addressed the estimated 100 worshipers.

Gore kept his remarks nonpartisan but used the opportunity to denounce racism on what was the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act.

He characterized Jim Crow laws as an “artifice of evil” and hailed the act for having “delivered the knockout punch to Jim Crow.”

But Gore also acknowledged: “We have a long way to go on that journey.”