Poll: Democratic insiders offer little support for Al Gore running in 2004

<br>LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Only about a third of Democratic Party insiders think former Vice President Al Gore should run for president again in 2004, according to a poll published Sunday. <br><br>The Los

Sunday, November 17th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Only about a third of Democratic Party insiders think former Vice President Al Gore should run for president again in 2004, according to a poll published Sunday.

The Los Angeles Times poll of 312 Democratic National Committee members _ roughly three-quarters of the committee's total membership _ suggests the contest is wide open, with none of the top possible candidates standing out as having particularly broad support.

Another poll released Sunday, by Time and CNN, shows that just over a third of Americans think there is a Democrat who can defeat President Bush in 2004, and half think there is not.

Among Democrats and those leaning Democratic in the general population, 36 percent in the Time-CNN poll favored Gore, while 26 percent said they would support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton aides have said she is not planning to run in 2004. All other potential candidates were in single digits.

The poll of 474 Democrats or those who lean Democratic was conducted Nov. 13-14. It had an error margin of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Only 35 percent of the DNC members polled for the Los Angeles Times said Gore should run again, while 48 percent said he should not and 17 percent were undecided.

Asked who they favor in the 2004 race, 46 percent of the respondents said they had no preference. Out of a list of 10 prospective candidates, 19 percent of those polled named Gore as their pick, 18 percent backed Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and 13 percent named Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, the outgoing Democratic leader in the House, was chosen by 10 percent. The other possible candidates were in single digits, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the 2000 vice presidential nominee, who garnered 4 percent.

``It looks like a party that's desperately seeking fresh faces,'' said Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan campaign analyst in Washington.

The poll found that party insiders still have great affection for former President Clinton. Ninety-six percent of those polled said they viewed Clinton favorably.

Sixty-six percent of respondents had a negative view of the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has said he plans to run for president.

As the party regroups from disappointing midterm elections, 43 percent of respondents in the Los Angeles Times poll said a Republican-run Congress could pave the way for a Democratic victory in the 2004 presidential race.

``If things go wrong, Republicans really have nobody else to blame,'' said Ron Oliver, chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party.

The DNC, the governing body of the national party, consists of roughly 450 local and state party leaders. The opinions of members could help determine who will face President Bush in his expected re-election bid.

The telephone poll, conducted from Nov. 7 through Nov. 14, had a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2 percentage points.