What Comes After: A 2024 Game (Gameplay-PAUSED)

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Gore Announcement
Nashville, Tennessee

   

Source: SouthernEnviornment.Org

Al Gore walks on the stage in front of Nashville City Hall joined by Former Representative Jim Cooper, Representative Steve Cohen, and Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

Thank you Nashville! I am thrilled and honored by your support today. I, and I’m sure you, never thought you would see me on a political stage again.

*audience laughs*

   

But I am here today to announce my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States!

*audience cheers*

   
We have seen tremendous progress accomplished in the past four years, by a former Vice President no less. We have made strides in eliminating poverty, leaps in combating climate change, and have restored America’s prestige abroad and Americans’ faith in their government at home. I pledge to you today that I will protect the progress that we have made.

To be clear, we must do more than protect our new found gains. The Supreme Court is running amok, trampling the will of the voters. Many across the country are still engaged in a tenacious attack on our democratic way of life. Too many people, men, women, and children, are trapped in a cycle of poverty and neglect. As President I will strive to the utmost to address these old and new challenges facing us.

I was 23 years old when John F. Kennedy called Americans to action - to ask us, all of us, what we could do for our country. What I can do today to answer that call is to offer my services again to you and to the country as a candidate for the highest office. This election is too important for me to do otherwise. I remember well, all too well, what happens when years of progress are jeopardized by an election gone awry. We cannot afford that happening this year.

I have the experience of dealing with Republican tricks.
I have the know-how of running a national campaign.
I have the ability to keep the White House in Democratic hands and to retake the House next fall.

   
Your choice for President is yours alone and will have profound implications for our and your future. We cannot afford even the risk of 4 more years of Republican control.

I hope that you will place your trust in me next year to be the next leader of the free world.

Thank you Nashville!

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Gore Campaign Strategy

Source:Change.org

   The Gore Campaign will need to hit the ground running and fast. The first month of the campaign will consist of establishing a fundraising apparatus based around both online small donors and in person fundraising events catered to bringing in larger donations. Gore will tap into his Tennessee connections, as well as among the older members of Congress in Washington to build fundraising lists.

   With the finances in order, the Gore campaign will focus squarely on South Carolina. A strong showing in the Palmetto State is key to the success of the whole endeavor. Field offices will be opened throughout the state and Gore will begin to barnstorm South Carolina extensively. A secondary focus will be put on Nevada, where offices will be opened in Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City.

   In addition to the logistics of the campaign, the campaign will highlight its momentum, and as such will begin to roll out endorsers who will barnstorm in the key states. As indicated by the endorsements requested, these endorsers will come primarily from the South or otherwise from individuals who served in the Congress while Al Gore was Vice-President. Gore will utilize his personal connections and Southern roots to work to win over these endorsements.

   As the campaign gets underway Gore’s primary theme will come down to two key pillars: Experience and Bridging the Gap between the factions in the party. These will be highlighted below.

Experience:

-Vice President Gore has the Experience to Deal with Republican Tricks
   -He knows that this election will be fraught with dirty tricks and lawsuits. Gore has been through it once, he can lead us through it again.

-Vice President Gore has the Experience to Expand the Map and Compete with Republicans on their Own Turf
   -Everytime that Gore has been on a national ticket he has expanded the map, forcing Republicans to compete in new places and helping to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.

-Vice President Gore has the Experience to Navigate Congress and Get Work Done for All Americans
   -As Vice President for 8 years Gore helped to oversee major packages in Congress, making the Clinton Presidency a smashing success and helping to lead to eight years of strong economic growth.

-Vice President Gore has the Experience in Foreign Affairs that is so Crucial Today
   -As Vice President, Gore helped lead America through serious crises in the Balkans, Africa and Eastern Europe.

-All in all, he has the experience to lead America through this new epoch, where America cannot afford a pair of unsteady hands. The past four years have shown us the value of experience and connections in Washington and Vice President Gore intends to continue building on the success of the past four years.

Bridging the Gap:

-The Vice President has long been representative of the Democratic Coalition, ahead of his time on issues like climate change, and endorsing gay marriage in 2008, even while representing a moderate state and taking a leading national role.

-The Vice President has the ability to lead the diverse Democratic coalition, uniting all facets of the coalition and bringing us to victory, in particular his plans (below in the debate) on both climate and healthcare are mainstream and popular with the general public and primary voters.

   These themes will feature heavily in the candidate’s own public appearances as well as the work of his surrogates and in his advertisements. Expect a more thorough campaign schedule shortly.

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Gore Debate Answers

Source: Reuters

1. An Opening Statement

Thank you Lester and I would also like to express my thanks to Drexel University for hosting us tonight. My name is Al Gore, and I may be as shocked to announce as you are to hear that I am running for President again.

Philadelphia is the home of American liberty where two centuries ago men from up and down this still undeclared nation answered a call to serve their nation. All of us on this stage, despite the attacks you’re seeing on the airwaves and in the press, answered an earnest call. We all answered a call to serve our nation.

I am running for President because I believe that I have the know-how, I have the experience to protect and build on President Obama and President Biden’s legacies. I look forward to discussing the issues facing our nation with all of you tonight.

2. Raise your hand if you support the adoption of a single-payer, "Medicare for All" style healthcare system. (Say if you raised your hand and if you like, write one or two sentences)
   

Needless to say you all saw I didn’t raise my hand. I think “Medicare for All” is a great plan, an admirable plan, and I do not for one minute disparage anyone who supports this policy tonight. But here’s the problem, and it’s the problem that everyone on this stage recognizes but won’t tell you. It cannot pass. We didn’t have the votes in 2020 when these debates could talk about nothing but healthcare and we don’t have the votes now. I think it is best to be honest with the American people about what we can actually accomplish.

My proposal is simple: expand Medicare to include an opt-in for those 55 and older and provide a public option health insurance program to compete with the private insurance companies. This proposal isn’t exciting, it’s not going to trend on Twitter, but it is something that we can get done.

3. The world is faced with the imminent threat of catastrophic climate change. This means storms, droughts, and more common freak weather events, rising sea levels, among other negative consequences. What is your plan to address this, mitigate the effects, and prevent long term damage to the planet?

I am grateful for this question. I have been talking about climate change for the better part of two decades. Unfortunately, the predictions that we have been listening to are starting to come true. We are now living with the effects of climate change. Horrific fires are ravaging California, Tennessee has been subject to terrible flooding, and New York has seen unbelievable winter weather.

What does this all mean? Well, this means we have got to do two things. One we have got to continue our efforts to reduce the future amount of warming and greenhouse gas emissions. This means that we should expand President Biden’s investments into green energy. We should be pouring money into solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric stations across the country, creating new renewable sources of energy and also revitalizing the economies of places that have been forgotten. This also means we must continue to work with our partners, and our adversaries globally to ensure that every nation is doing its fair share to reduce the threat of climate change.

Secondly, we must begin to update our infrastructure and emergency services for the new stresses that climate change will put on them. That means building new levees on America’s great rivers, it means updating our ports and our underground infrastructure, and it means being prepared for national scale climate emergencies.

I am not a pessimistic person. I know that the road to combating climate change will be difficult but together we can continue to build a bright future for our country.

4. What could we expect for the first 100 Days of your presidency?

The first 100 days. Pundits sure love that question. A presidency is more than the first 100 days. A presidency is, if you’re lucky, an eight year commitment to the American people to serve and protect them. To listen to their concerns and their problems, and to do everything in your power to leave this country a better place than you found it.

At any rate, I’ll tell you what my priorities will be: Medicare expansion and the implementation of a public option, vast new recommitment to America’s leadership in the fight against climate change, and reaffirming America’s leadership of the free world, a leadership which President Biden has taken on so impressively.

But these are priorities which will extend beyond just the 100 days. The mark of any great presidency is a program which is not limited by such artificial distinctions. FDR transformed the country, and it surely took more than 100 days. LBJ reinvented our conception of a social safety net and civil rights, and it surely took more than 100 days. Presidents Obama and Biden rescued us from the depths of recession and crisis, and boy let me tell you that sure took more than 100 days. The race for the presidency is full of soundbites, but the presidency is a complex thing - let’s act like it.

5. Who is the United States's greatest geopolitical adversary?
   

I’m not going to hem and haw here. The answer is China. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is horrific. A war of aggression against a sovereign neighbor with the express goal of annexation. Ukraine’s resistance and pugnacity, its heroism and strength is an inspiration to us all. Yet we must see what’s going on here. Russia is destroying itself. Sending crops of its young men to die in an imperialist war the likes of which we have not seen since 1945. Russia even now is falling under the sway of Beijing and an authoritarian regime which has mastered the use of technology to suppress its population and maintain strict control at home. Worse yet China is exporting this brand of tyranny around the globe, sending arms, money and investments across Asia, Africa and Europe. China represents the single greatest threat to American interests and international freedom since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This threat requires not just a concerted American response but a concerted response by all of our allies around the globe. We must work and strive earnestly to continue the work that President Biden began in reassuming America’s leadership role in the world.

To Vice President Gore: You passed on presidential candidacies in 2004, 2008, 2016, and 2020 when there was a great deal more speculation on you throwing your hat into the ring. Now at the age of 75 you've finally decided to give it another go. Why run now? Why is this year different?
   

Look everyone, I get it. You’re all probably thinking why am I here? Heck, some nights I finally get home and I ask myself the same thing. And then I see my wife, and I see my grandkids, and I realize what I’m doing this for. We all lived through the past eight years. The stakes are simply too high. None of us can sit idly by and hope that someone else is going to do the hard work of preserving our democracy and giving a fair shake to all Americans.

I am running for President today because I am sick and tired of seeing hard won Democratic gains going down the drain. We saw it in 1968, we saw it in 1980, we saw it in 2000, and 2016 but God willing we’re not going to see it in 2024. President Biden has done a tremendous, a tremendous job of rebuilding our nation after Trump. We cannot squander that, we must build on President Biden’s legacy, expand his infrastructure funding to new green investments, expand Medicare and other programs for the American people, and continue our leadership in the world against the authoritarians in Moscow and Beijing.

I am running for President because I can continue this legacy. I know what it takes to win a national election. I helped win two, and if you all remember came quite close to winning a third (laughs). I know what the Republicans are going to throw at us this fall - Goodness I mean have you seen the clown car over there? We cannot afford to let them get within a mile of the White House. I have the know-how and experience to win this election. We cannot afford to waltz into a coronation. This election is about more than any one of us. It is about you all. And you all deserve a choice.

Rebuttal

Look everyone (addressed to the other candidates on the stage) I get that we are under a lot of stress here, but we owe it to the American people not to speak to them in platitudes, particularly about the threats to America and democracy globally. Vice President Harris, it is so lovely to see another Vice President on the stage, but one of the most important jobs that an American president undertakes is keeping us safe abroad and I think we all owe the American people a frank answer on the threats facing us globally. Indeed, all we have gotten from your answer is an endorsement of another candidate’s plan. What are you going to do to protect America’s position globally?

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Overview of Gore Campaign Activities

Source: Guardian

A Fast Start

   Fresh off of his strong debate performance, Vice President Gore took the country, barnstorming with a fresh round of endorsers with a particular focus on South Carolina and Nevada. In June, with Congressman Steve Cohen and Former Congressman Jim Cooper the Vice President attended the opening of his national campaign headquarters in Nashville, and that evening kicked off with a major fundraiser in the city before beginning a two week barnstorming of South Carolina, hitting Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach. This first round of barnstorming was focused squarely on a positive message, which highlighted Vice President Gore’s experience with executive leadership and progressive bonafides on gay marriage and climate change. At each of these locations, the Vice President would open one field office, recruiting new volunteers, and also meeting with community leaders. The Vice President’s campaign, despite his previous high office and executive campaign experience would not be characterized by a high and mighty attitude, rather he would take the time to shake the hands of the average voters and meet with local Democratic leaders wherever he went in the state.

   As the Vice President was barnstorming, his major endorsers would fan out across the Southern United States and the Southwest, fundraising and barnstorming for the Vice President, focusing both on his climate plans, and his plans to expand healthcare access. These efforts would culminate at the end of July with a kickoff rally for the Nevada team in Las Vegas.

“Thank you, Las Vegas! Gosh I am thrilled to be here. If you’d told me this is the kind of welcome we’d be receiving I wouldn’t have believed it…If I have said it once I have said it a million times. I will be ready on day one to lead and to take on the challenges that everyday Americans need their President to take on. I will fight for expanded Medicare access for our older citizens, I will fight for a public healthcare option, and I will revitalize our green industry with new government subsidies which will breathe life back into so many local economies…this election is about more than just any one candidate, it is about you and your families. We cannot sleepwalk into a defeat, we need to fight everyday to ensure that a Republican does not find their way back into the White House.”

Keeping up the Pressure

   
   With a strong summer start behind him, the Vice President in July returned to South Carolina for another two week stint, addressing both the local state Democratic convention, and the local AFL-CIO. Focusing on his labor record, and his track record of representing Democratic interests from across the country, the Vice President continued to barnstorm the state returning to both Charleston and Columbia before taking his campaign bus, now emblazoned with the red and blue Gore logo to the rural upcountry and midlands of the state.

“Look, I know what it feels like up here. I grew up in a small town in Tennessee where every summer I worked on the farm. I have seen what’s happened to rural America over the past half decade. Our small towns have hollowed out. Businesses have shut down. People started dying of drug overdoses and just despair. For fifty years no one cared enough to do anything. It is time that a real program for rural revitalization begins. New federal money for rural schools, and new investment in rural green energy is just the start of what we can do. As President you cannot afford to ignore any part of the country, and I certainly won’t.”

   
       As July turned to August, and the Vice President returned to Nevada and then swung through New Hampshire, he began to hone his attacks against the other candidates. While preferring to generally stay above the fray, more frequent mentions of a certain unnamed candidate’s platitudes and vagaries began to appear, and were contrasted with the Vice President’s record of serious policy experience.
   

Finishing the Summer Strong

   With momentum at his back, and more endorsements and fundraising starting to roll in, by September the Vice President had hit his stride. A swing through coastal South Carolina brought discussion of his plan to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels and a trip to and rally in Detroit allowed him to remind labor of his long history supporting them, even in the difficult 80s.

   Returning to his base in the South, major fundraisers in Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta and New Orleans allowed Gore to begin his first ad blitz in South Carolina, speaking directly to voters about his record and his plan for the country. In particular the Vice President continued to remind voters that he had what it took to overcome whatever Republicans threw at him and that he could expand the map into new directions.

   With the summer coming to an end, the Vice President felt strongly that the campaign was off to a good start.

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Gore Statement on 11/8 Attacks

Source: Time

I don’t know what to say. To those who lost their lives all I can say is thank you for your service. Thank you for serving your government and for protecting the lives of civilians. There is no higher service. To those families left behind I know that the grief you are experiencing will never go away, it will just change.

This attack represents another attack on our way of life, our democracy, and our belief in the rule of law. There is a segment of the population that is hell bent on destroying the America we believe in, the America we all grew up or are growing up in. They cannot and will not be allowed to succeed.

Every so often, every so often, our nation has gone through periods of acute crisis. 1861, 1928, 1968. In all of these crises did Americans give into despair? No. No. We rose up. We met the challenges and resolved to build a better future and a better country for our sons and daughters. I know that we can do the same today. Our response to these attacks must extend beyond punishing those responsible, though that can and will happen.

We also must renew faith in our democracy. We must rise above the din of hate, and discord, and despair, and make a new promise for America’s future.

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Vice President Gore Announces South Carolina Endorsements; Claims the Big ‘Mo

Source: Imgur/Me

   Nov 29, 2023
   Today, Vice President Gore’s campaign released a list of new endorsements from the Palmetto State, extending from the Piedmont down to the Low Country. The endorsements include state legislators, mayors, former candidates, and the South Carolina State Senate Minority Leader. Welcoming the endorsement the Vice President’s Press Secretary commented “These endorsements show the Vice President’s widespread support in the state and testify to the momentum behind the candidate. We are ready to take our message to every voter and every part of South Carolina, and we are going to shock you come February. We’ve got the Big ‘Mo.”

Endorsements:
South Carolina Former State Senator and Gubernatorial Candidate Vincent Sheheen
South Carolina Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto
South Carolina State Senator Dick Harpootlian (Columbia)
South Carolina State Senator Mike Fanning (Upstate) 
South Carolina Assistant House Minority Leader Russell Ott (Midlands)
South Carolina State Representative Seth Rose (Columbia)
South Carolina State Representative Leon Stavrinakis (Charleston)
South Carolina State Representative Elizabeth Whetmore (Charleston)
Ricky Warring, Summerville SC Mayor
John Gettys, Rock Hill SC Mayor

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Gore Activities October - February

Source: Imgur/Me

South Carolina, South Carolina, South Carolina (and Georgia!)

Source: Stanford Daily

The Gore Campaign knew they would not be able to win in South Carolina, no, that wasn’t the goal. But South Carolina was the key to their strategy, to unite the non-Harris vote behind a viable alternative to the Vice President. A strong second place showing in South Carolina would catapult Gore into strong contention for the nomination, possibly allowing the Former Vice President to take Georgia. As such, Vice President Gore’s team would be laser focused on South Carolina, and to a lesser extent Georgia.

Early in October, the Vice President took a leading role in buttressing the Gore organization in the state, attending the opening of a second field office in Charleston, and new field offices in North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. The Vice President’s team knows that persuasion and turnout of every possible supporter will be key, and significant funds will be devoted to the field program in South Carolina.

Throughout the rest of October, Vice President Gore, frequently backed up by his cadre of Southern Surrogates, including Governor Roy Cooper, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, Former Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin, Congressman Don Beyer and of course Former Gubernatorial Candidate Vincent Sheheen swept the state, with a particular focus on Low Country and Piedmont South Carolina. In Charleston and on the coast, the Vice President emphasized his strong stance on climate change.

“We have a once in a lifetime chance to turn back the clock on climate change. You all know the stakes of grasping that opportunity here. You have seen the storms get worse, the coastline erode, and homes be washed away. I’m not a pessimist. I know the road ahead is hard, but it is also paved with opportunity. The technology at our fingertips and the resources of the United States all can provide us with the tools we need to combat this challenge. As President, I pledge today a federal commitment to combating climate change. New levees and dykes on the coast, a vast investment into solar and hydroelectric power, all are necessary and can be accomplished. Now is not the time to wallow in despair of the challenges of our time, but to meet them head on.”

Sweeping into the Piedmont, Vice President Gore continued to hammer on his electability and his plans for rural revitalization. With stops in Greenville to open another field office in that city and into Rock Hill to further expand the Gore presence in the upstate, the Vice President brought this message home on a small farm.

   “You need someone in the White House who understands rural issues and can bring that experience to the White House by actually winning. Every summer I went home and worked on a cattle farm. I know what has happened to the small farms and ranches across this country. By neglect or worse they have been gobbled up by huge conglomerations, hollowing out rural America. We need a new Farm Bill, to stabilize prices, yes, but to do more than that. We need a new Farm Bill to make sure that young people have the skills and know how and financial resources to become farmers. One of our greatest strengths is our soil and our farmers and I intend to protect that strength.”

   

Finally, before leaving the state the Vice President would address the state legislative Democratic caucuses, seeking select endorsements in personal meetings.
   
As November began, the Vice President began a swing through northern Georgia, opening field offices in Atlanta, Athens, and Marietta. In Atlanta the Vice President would focus on his progressive chops on climate change and gay marriage, and evoked the memory of John Lewis, a life long friend.

“John Lewis knew that racial justice is linked to environmental justice. In his lifelong fight for equality, he fought to protect Black, Brown, Indigenous & low-income Americans from pollution. These issues are all wrapped up together. Fighting climate change will also do more than just protect marginalized communities from the harmful effects of pollution and extreme weather events, but it will also provide well paying jobs to further strengthen local communities’ economies.”

   
Atlanta would also be the sight of the Vice President’s “Why me? Why now?” speech taking place on November 11th.

Sweeping North

Source: Politico

   
By the middle of November, and after a series of fundraisers in Atlanta, Nashville and Columbia, Vice President Gore was ready to expand the playing field, heading north to New Hampshire and Michigan, with a brief stop over in Virginia to meet with Senator Tim Kaine to request his endorsement.

The second half of November and the beginning of December would be full of New Hampshire campaigning, opening the campaign headquarters in Manchester, with Former Mayor Robert Baines and arranging a meeting with Senator Jeanne Shaheen to seek her endorsement ahead of the crucial New Hampshire primary. The meeting with Senator Shaheen reportedly focused on their long relationship in politics together and her and her husband’s crucial support for the Vice President in the 2000 New Hampshire Primary.

Gore’s swing through New Hampshire would be typified by his ties with the state, calling on old 2000 election connections to help get campaign infrastructure in place, as well as a focus on swinging the moderate rural voters in the north of the state, as well as the suburban voters outside of Boston.
   

“It’s hard to believe that it has been 24 years since I campaigned here for the last time, and boy am I glad to be back. You know in 2000, this state gave my campaign quite the scare that year, and it was your own Senator, then Governor, Shaheen, who really pulled my feet out of the fire. But I’m not here to reminisce, I am here to ask for your vote for the Presidency of the United States. You need a candidate with the know-how to win and the know-how to get to work from the moment they step into the Oval Office, and I am that candidate.”

After his successful swing through New Hampshire, the Vice President would depart for Michigan spending the rest of the month focused on the state, opening a campaign headquarters in Detroit and campaigning throughout the industrial eastern portion of the state before moving west into farm country.
   

“People love to talk about the rust belt and how America’s best industrial days are behind her, but I never bought that. I never bought into the tempting lie that our best days were behind us! No. Our horizons are limitless. Anytime that Americans have been faced with a challenge, we don’t lie down and wallow in despair, we get up and beat it. We are on the cusp of a new age of technology and progress and we need a government that is willing to be on the forefront of ushering that age in. New investments in Green technology will bring back good paying jobs to Middle America and revitalize the heartland. I’m not here to tell you that this will be easy, Republicans and oil interests will fight us all the way, but we’re Democrats, we’re used to a good fight.”

The Final Southern Push

Source: Axios

The New Year would herald the Vice President’s final Southern Push after his swing through the northern primary states. It would begin with a January 3rd rally in Columbia, South Carolina with its former mayor and several state legislators where the Vice President laid out again the rationale for his candidacy.

“We’re Democrats, we’ve never settled for a coronation. We’ve never settled for being told who to vote for. We expect more from our candidates than empty platitudes and promises. More than that, the times that we are living in demand more. Every Democrat in this state and in this country is going to be given one of the most consequential choices not just for their future but for the future of this nation: who will our nominee be? The stakes are too high to vest that awesome responsibility in someone who can’t win, someone who doesn’t have the experience to govern, or someone who cannot grapple with the grave challenges facing us today. We need someone ready on day one. Ready on day one to defend our democracy, ready on day one to address climate change and revitalize our rural communities, and ready on day one to get the job done.”

After the Columbia kickoff the Vice President would begin traveling through the Midlands holding various events with a focus on persuading Harris and Adams voters with his message of electability. The field offices in this area of the state, and others would focus their efforts on persuasion, trying to flip Harris and Adams voters, but more than this, rallying the voters of the non-viable candidates in South Carolina behind a candidate who can derail the Harris juggernaut. The messaging to these voters will focus on ensuring that there is no coronation, Gore’s progressive bonafides (when appropriate) and making sure that there is a real chance for voters in the rest of the country to have a real choice when their primary arrives.

By the middle of January the Gore Campaign in South Carolina will switch to Get out the Vote (GOTV) with a strong focus on base turnout. At the same time, the Vice President will make a brief swing through Savannah, Atlanta, and rural northern Georgia, before returning to South Carolina on January 20th for the sprint to the finish.

For the last two weeks of the primary Gore will alternate between his base in the Piedmont and the Low Country, rallying with his local surrogates where relevant and sending them to engage in GOTV activities when they are able. This final push will again invoke Gore’s electability, his approach to climate change and rural renewal, and his ability to win and govern on day one. Campaign staff will work all out to the conclusion of the primary in February, turning out as many voters as possible. Gore’s final campaign rally will take place in Charleston, and will feature a lineup of his most relevant South Carolina endorsements and surrogates.

“Thank you Charleston! When I started this campaign seven months ago, I never would have imagined this response. All across the country the support we have received has been so heartening. Tomorrow is our first test. Tomorrow is our first test to see if South Carolina is ready to give Democrats a real choice for the nomination. Tomorrow is our first test to see if South Carolina is ready for a real investment to combat climate change and revitalize rural America. Tomorrow is our first test of whether South Carolina is ready to vote for someone who is ready on day one to grapple with the challenges facing our nation. Thank you all so much, and please, don’t forget to vote!”

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Gore Speech: Why me? Why now?
November 11, 2023 Atlanta, GA

Source: Time

   

   Why me? Why now? You all have probably heard those questions asked about this campaign every time you turn on the television, I certainly have, and sometimes after a long day of campaigning I ask myself the same question.

   And then I remember what I’ve seen in neglected corners all across the country. I remember what I’ve seen in communities devastated by climate change induced natural disasters. I think about the challenges at home to our democracy and abroad to liberty everywhere that the new President will have to face, and I remember why I am running.

   Why me, why now? Because we need a candidate who understands the challenges facing rural and small town America. I have seen the hollowing out of so much of the United States. The epidemic of despair that has engulfed small towns across the country. Every summer I went home and worked on my family’s cattle farm. And every summer I saw more farms board up their windows, I saw more businesses go under, and I saw more small towns wither. We need a candidate who will stand up for small town America and I will. But it’s more than that.

   Why me, why now? Because we are now presented with the opportunity to finally grapple with climate change and to protect ourselves, our communities, and our world from its effects. The federal government must take a leadership role in fighting this battle. We are also presented with the opportunity to turn our fight against climate change. I am the only candidate who has made climate change a key part of my platform, and I will take that commitment with me all the way to the White House. But more importantly: 

   Why men, why now? Because the stakes are too high. The stakes are too high to entrust this awesome responsibility to someone who is not ready to do the job on day one. For eight years I served as Vice President, taking on an active role in everyday decisions. If there’s anything that the past eight years have shown us, and the contrast between President Biden and President Trump has demonstrated, it’s that the Presidency is not a profession for learning on the job. You hit the ground running and you don’t stop sprinting until the end of your time in office. The challenges facing the new President are steep and the nation needs someone ready to lead from January 20th.    

   Thank you all very much.

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Gore Debate Answers

Source: Ballotopedia

Opening Statement

Thank you very much to the moderators of this debate and I’d also like to thank the Guilford Center for hosting us all tonight. Tonight is another opportunity for you all here and across the nation to consider your choice for the Democratic nomination and I sincerely hope that you will consider me. The stakes are too high to invest the awesome responsibility of the Presidency in someone who is not ready to do the job on day one. The stakes are too high to vote for a candidate not ready to go toe to toe with the threats to our democracy at home and abroad and face headlong the challenges posed by climate change. I hope that after tonight you are ready to support my candidacy as the candidate who is ready to lead on day one.

1. What is your approach to immigration policy. Do you support increasing the cap for asylum seekers and refugees? Do you support more liberal measures like decriminalizing illegal border crossings into the United States?

30,000 is by far too low a number. I absolutely do support increasing the current cap on asylum. We cannot give into the dual temptations of nativism and xenophobia. Across every generation, immigrants and refugees, arriving with little but hope in the American dream have renewed America’s strength and faith in herself, they can do so again and they must continue to do so into the 21st century. We also have to streamline the processes we have in place to allow for the legal entrance of immigrants and for those who wish to come to the United States to obtain citizenship. For all the talk on the Republican side of the aisle about welcoming lawful newcomers to his country, the bureaucracy we have in place for legal entry is so complicated that not even a lawyer could figure it out.

2. There has been an uptick of crime, especially in urban areas like New York City and Chicago since the COVID-19 pandemic. What measures will you support to bring crime, theft, and gun violence under control?

This is an important question, so thank you for asking it Jake. We first have to note that while the current crime rate is up, we still have to remember that it has not reached the highs we saw before I was elected Vice President in 1993, still, there is a serious rise and it is affecting predominantly our poorer and more marginalized communities. What we can do about it is address the root causes of crime. We need more investment in local economies and local education. Most of these crimes are being committed by young men, and we need to let them know that there is a future for them, a future that is bright, and prosperous, and worth working for.

Beyond this we need more and better training for our law enforcement officials. The training will allow officers to deescalate encounters, preventing regular stops from escalating into criminal interactions. But more than this, most crimes have an abysmal clearance rate and go unsolved. We have to give our law enforcement officers the training, and yes resources, to get a grip on crime clearance. If criminals know they will be caught they will be less likely to commit crimes.

3. What measures would you take as President to protect access to abortion for women in states where state governments have taken measures against abortion rights? What about measures for LGBT people?

Thank you for this question. There are a few things we can do to both protect abortion rights and to begin to fight against the increasing din of hate and anger being directed at LGBT individuals across the country. As others have mentioned we must must must codify Roe v. Wade. Beyond that, we must ensure that there are federal protections via the USPS for the mailing of various reproductive healthcare related pills. These will both be priorities for me as President.

Turning to the question of LGBT rights, I also echo what my colleagues on the stage have said about ratifying the Equality Act. But we should all be clear here. All of these measures will require your help to pass. They can only pass with the Presidency in Democratic hands and with an increased majority in the Senate and a new majority in the House. No one is coming to save our rights this time, certainly not the Courts. It is up to us all to ensure that Democrats have the power to get this done.

4. Are you concerned about Saudi interference in American elections? How do you view our relationship with the Kingdom in general, is it time to re-evaluate what has been a longstanding alliance?

Absolutely I am concerned about Saudi interference and it is high time that we re-evaluate this long standing alliance. We should be crystal clear here, any foreign interference in an American election must be understood as an act unbefitting of an ostensible ally. As President I will ensure that we tackle foreign interference in our elections and will work with Congress to pass legislation to deal with this.

More to the point of the Saudi alliance, I think it is time to call a spade a spade. The Saudi Kingdom is an authoritarian gang which regularly executes protestors, women and other opponents of their regime without the due process of law. They are engaged in massive human rights abuses, bombing civilian targets in Yemen with reckless disregard for human life. We have tried for decades to moderate the Saudi regime. We tried in the 90s, I remember. It is not working, and if America is to say with a straight face that we are the leader of the free world we must be prepared to predicate our support for the Saudi monarchy on their support for some basic ideas of human rights.

5. Raise your hand if you a gun buyback program, voluntary or mandatory. (You may write one sentence)

I do support a voluntary buyback program as just one part of a Federal program to reduce gun violence including background checks and an assault weapons ban.

To Vice President Gore: Back in the 1980s and 1990s you had a reputation as a moderate, even conservative Democrat. Can Democrats trust you too advance a progressive agenda if you're elected on healthcare, family leave, and other key issues?

Thank you Jake for this question, and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my record. I’ve always prided myself on looking at the problems facing the nation at any given time and looking for a path forward. In the 80s and 90s that path forward involved working with Republicans in the face of a Republican President. In the Senate, I, along with then Senator Biden, were able to work with Republicans to pass the 1988 Civil Rights Bill over President Regan’s Veto, for example. But I also want to be clear, compromise didn’t involve giving up on advancing this country in a progressive way, and if you look at my record you’ll see that. During that period I worked to accomplish arms reduction, an investment in new technologies, and held the very first hearings on climate change. I intend to continue that record today, working with Republicans to advance progressive causes if, and only if possible, but going it alone when necessary to protect and expand the progressive vision of America, just like President Biden has. 

Rebuttal

I’m sorry but I have to take umbrage with Mayor Adams’ response to his budget woes. As President, or Governor, or Mayor the buck stops with you. There are going to be challenges, and budget shortfalls, and political deadlock. When the going gets tough you have to be willing to fight for the people who need it most, just like the children in New York’s schools or the citizens desperate for a well funded public library. How are we going to be able to trust you not to throw seniors’ healthcare onto the chopping block, or our children's education when there is inevitably deadlock with Congress over the budget?

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The Comeback Kid

11:58 PM February 3rd, 2024

Source: New Republic/Me

Vice President Gore strides onto the stage, surrounded by family, local South Carolina Endorsers, and volunteers. Upbeat music blares through the speakers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you South Carolina! Tonight y’all have shocked this state, y'all have shocked this party and y'all have shocked this nation! When we started this campaign seven months ago, no one could have imagined this, but tonight you have proven the doubters and the naysayers wrong. Tonight you have proven that America is ready for experienced leadership that is ready to fight for rural America. Tonight you have proven that America is ready to stand up to the threats posed by climate change. Tonight you have proven that America is ready for a President to lead and protect our democracy on day one. Tonight you have made this campaign and this tired candidate the comeback kid.

Crowd Cheers

I just got off the phone with Vice President Harris and congratulated her on her hard fought victory. She and her team deserve congratulations, but so do you. None of this, none of it at all, would have been possible without each and every one of you, and what you have accomplished is remarkable. All over this state, from the Piedmont to the Midlands, and from Columbia to Charleston, you mobilized. You knocked on doors, and called your neighbors, and got to the polls, and for that I don’t believe I can ever fully express my thanks.

Y'all have started this campaign with a bang, but it doesn’t end here, far from it. This campaign is going to go on thanks to you all. We’re going to run through New Hampshire, sprint through Nevada and Georgia and take this fight all the way to the Convention and then to the White House! See you in New Hampshire! 

Crowd cheers as Vice President Gore leaves the stage.

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To Win New Hampshire

Source: Imgur/Me

The Gore Campaign had to make a choice: Nevada or New Hampshire? Both states were attractive and in both the Former Vice President seemed to be surging in both. Both had media markets that would be affordable to compete in. But New Hampshire was where the Vice President stood closest to winning, and in New Hampshire the Vice President had already devoted a decent amount of time to both visiting and building up an organization. A strong showing there could send him into the critical Georgia primary with significant momentum. With the wind, and the endorsements of Senator Shaheen and Congressman Pappas, at his back, the Vice President decided: New Hampshire.

February 4th: Southern New Hampshire Bound

Source: ABC News

The final Gore campaign sprint across New Hampshire would begin with a kickoff rally in Manchester with Senator Shaheen and their hometown Congressman, Chris Pappas. Designed as both a rally and a launch to the campaign’s final field push across the state, the rally would be chock full of field organizers drafting attendees to knock on doors in the final few days. The race was too close to leave any vote on the table and the day itself would be focused on vote-rich southern New Hampshire.

Thank you Manchester! I am so honored today to be joined by Senator Shaheen and Congressman Pappas, and thank you to Senator Shaheen for your far too kind introduction. You know it was 24 years ago when New Hampshire whipped a lazy campaign into shape, it was 24 years ago when Senator Shaheen rallied this state behind my candidacy for a come from behind win, and I don’t know about you but I’m getting some deja vu today!
   
This state has a way of shocking the nation and I think you are going to do it again. When this campaign started seven months ago no one thought we would be competitive in this state, we were in single digits in this state and people had written us off, but now you all have gotten it so close we can almost taste it.

But let’s be clear what this campaign is about, because it’s about more than just anyone candidate or anyone primary, it is about the future of this nation. In 1960 John F. Kennedy called on all of us to grapple with the New Frontier, what he called the “frontier of unknown opportunities and perils, the frontier of unfilled hopes and unfilled threats.” It is a frontier similar to what we face today. We face a future of new and unknown challenges but also a future full of opportunities if we just have the leadership and the courage to seize them. This is a campaign about making sure that we have the leadership in the White House to conquer this New Frontier.

The stakes before us this year could not be higher. There are too many Republican candidates running in your primary to count, but they are all saying one thing: cut the social safety net, remove protections for the most vulnerable Americans, and protect the billionaires. We need a candidate that can lead on day one, who can whip these Republicans back to the 1950s, and can provide the leadership we need.

I hope that you can place your faith in me to be that leadership. Now, let’s get out and win this thing.

Following the kickoff speech, and the launching of canvassers and phone bankers, in Manchester, the Vice President, with Senator Shaheen and Congressman Pappas in tow would travel first to Dover and then down onto Portsmouth, where he would discuss his plans for reviving small town and post-industrial America.

What has been done here in Dover is an inspiration for small town America. When the mills closed here, like they closed in so many other towns across the country, your government got moving, bringing in museums, investing in education, and revitalizing this beautiful town. Jobs came back and the historic downtown was saved. As President, I will utilize Dover as the framework for federal investment into small towns across the country. For too long Washington has been content to let small towns wither on the vine, but I pledge to you today that that ends with me.

The day would end with a foray in the Second Congressional District, widely expected by the Gore Campaign to be Merkley and Whitmer’s base. There he would stop in Nashua to launch canvassers and inspire volunteers, before turning north to Concord for the final event of the day.

New Hampshire knows better than most the costs that not fighting climate change will lead to. Already the winters are warmer and full of more disastrous winter storms. Every summer the whole region holds its breath to see if another hurricane will come barreling north. We have got to act and act now. I am the only candidate who has made climate change a cornerstone of their platform. We need massive investment not just into infrastructure updates but also into green energy. This will not just help protect us from the effects of climate change but may even give us a chance to reverse some of the damage done, and of course the jobs this would bring across the country  are innumerable.

February 5th: Rural New Hampshire Here We Come

Source: CBSNews

The last full day of campaigning before the New Hampshire Primary had arrived and Vice President Gore would be taking his message to some of his strongest supporters in the state: rural and industrial in the rural north and on the coasts. Beginning the day near a dairy farm outside of Sandwich Town, the Vice President reaffirmed his rural bonafides.

I’m proud of where I grew up, in the small town of Carthage, Tennessee. Every summer I worked on the cattle farm, and I am the only candidate in this race who is ready to make sure the issues facing rural America are prioritized. I’ve seen what has happened to rural, small town, and working class America these past forty years. Washington did nothing while opioids and despair and deindustrialization took hold. As President I can promise you that I won’t sit idly by. A new public works programme, in support of new green industries will help revitalize rural life. As will new investments in infrastructure. Other candidates may come up to these small towns every four years and talk the good talk, but for me these issues are personal.

The Vice President would repeat this message in Berlin and Ossipee, working to win over voters who the other candidates missed with their focus on the suburban part of the state. This messaging as the “Rural Candidate” would also be highlighted by a concurrent ad campaign.

The afternoon and evening would see the Vice President return to vote-rich Rockingham County for his final message of unity, electability and leadership. Touring Brentwood, Derry and finally Salem, the Vice President brought this final, closing message home.

Look folks, if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. The stakes in this election are too high to put your faith in someone who can’t win, who can’t lead on day one, who you can’t be sure will protect the progress we have made over the last decade. You have got several fine choices to choose from tomorrow, but I hope you’ll put your faith in me as the candidate that can get this thing done in November.

February 6th: Final Push

With New Hampsherites voting, the Vice President would head to field offices around the state, launching canvassers and inspiring staff. After this he would settle into the Manchester Headquarters and wait for the results.

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New Hampshire Rallies around the Comeback Kid

Gore Campaign Announces High Profile Granite State Endorsements

Source: Facebook/Chris Pappas for Congress

February 4th, 2024

Today the Gore Campaign announced the endorsements of Senator Shaheen and Representative Pappas. In their joint endorsement, the two highlighted the Former Vice President’s leadership and his progressive bonafides on climate change, noting that the Vice President “is the best candidate for New Hampshire and for the country. He understands the stakes of this election and he can be trusted to win and to lead from day one.” Following the endorsement Vice President Gore’s Press Secretary commented that “these endorsements continue to highlight the Vice President’s nationwide appeal and his momentum. We are a campaign that is dedicated to unifying the party and taking this fight all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and these endorsements show that we can and will do both.”

Senator Shaheen and Congressman Pappas Take the Stump for the Former Vice President

February 4th, 2024

The Gore Campaign has today released schedules showing that Senator Shaheen and Congressman Pappas will hit the stump with the Vice President in the last two days of the campaign. While doing various joint events with the Vice President on February 4th, on February 5th the Senator and the Congressman will hit the trail on their own, with Senator Shaheen stumping throughout Hillsborough County with a particular focus on Nashua and Manchester and Congressman Pappas speaking with voters in Rockingham County, and in particular Portsmouth, Salem and Brentwood. Both surrogates are expected to impress upon suburban voters that Vice President Gore is the candidate who can win this election and lead on day one.

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Senator Shaheen Op-Ed: Why Al Gore is the Best Choice for President*

Source: Manchester Union Leader

February 5th, 2024
By Senator Jeanne Shaheen

Like many of you, I was left scratching my head wondering who to vote for in this Tuesday’s primary. Governors, Senators and Vice Presidents with extraordinary talent and compelling stories have been crisscrossing this state for the better part of a year making the case for why they should be the next President of the United States of America. At the end of the day however, the choice is clear, Vice President Al Gore is the candidate best suited to defeat the Republican ticket and lead our nation.

This is no ordinary election. The Republican candidates all have one thing in common: they are ready to rollback the progress of the past four years, harming the most vulnerable among us, damaging our democracy and harming our standing around the world. They will do nothing to help revitalize rural America or to combat the growing threat of climate change. The stakes of this election could not be higher and we need a candidate who can win. Al Gore is that candidate. He knows that a general election is grueling, he has run in three of them. He knows what is going to be thrown at a Presidential Nominee. He is ready for anything and everything that the Republicans will throw at him.

However, even if Democrats do win the White House this November, the stakes of this election go beyond just winning. The challenges facing our nation and our world are great. At home threats to our democracy continue, states across the country are being battered by climate change and rural America continues to suffer from neglect. Abroad, liberty and freedom is under attack and the world needs now more than ever an America that is ready to lead with graciousness and humility. Al Gore is the candidate who is ready to lead and grapple with these challenges on day one. For his entire career Al Gore has fought to improve the lives of everyday Americans and he has been a trailblazer in sounding the alarm on climate change. He has advocated tirelessly for democracy at home and abroad and he is the candidate that this country needs.

Tomorrow, I urge every voter to cast their vote for Vice President Al Gore.

*To be submitted to all major New Hampshire daily newspapers for publication on February 5th.

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Gorementum Continues: The Vice President Speaks

Source: New Republic/Me

Thank you Manchester! I just got off the phone with Senator Merkley and congratulated him on his hard won victory. I also want to extend my congratulations to Governors Whitmer and Newsom for their impressive performance tonight. New Hampshire you have truly brought out the best in all of us and made us all better candidates. When we announced this campaign months ago, this would have been unimaginable. We would have been laughed out of the room for suggesting this result, but once again, you gave this Tennessean a chance and you have shocked the country.

I want to make one thing clear, this campaign is not about me. It is about all of you and the future that we are going to build. Together, let's make sure that our prosperity enriches not just the few, but all working families. Let's invest in health care, education, a secure retirement and middle-class tax cuts.

This country is rich and strong and we have President Biden to thank for that, but we must build on that prosperity. We must make sure that everyone is able to partake in the American Dream. We need leadership in Washington who will reinvest in forgotten America. In the small towns that have withered as Washington did nothing, in the urban neighborhoods so long forgotten. We need leadership ready to lead globally on day one and to unify this country behind the new challenges on the horizon.

But as important as prosperity is, there is a moral conscience in this country that must continue to be renewed. With your help that can happen. We can continue to rebuild our democracy at home and restore decency at dignity to this nation. America is the last, best hope for the world and I refuse to give up on that dream, the stakes are simply too high to do otherwise.

I am deeply honored that so many of you put your faith in me tonight. The race does not end here, really it is only the beginning. Tonight my team is flying to Georgia to take our message back to the South with the winds at our backs thanks to you.

Goodnight New Hampshire!

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The Party Rallies: Endorsements Pour in for Al Gore

Source: Me

Politico
February 7th, 2024

After his surprisingly strong showing in New Hampshire, the Gore Campaign today announced the endorsements of leaders across the country. In a joint statement, Senators Tim Kaine, Mark Kelly and John Hickenlooper announced their support for the Former Vice President citing his “long record of service and experience in public office,” his “commitment to fighting for working families,” and his “courage to be out in front on critical issues like climate change.” Former Governor John Bel Edwards and Former Representative John Barrow have also announced their support for the Vice President, noting his concern for issues affecting their states and his plan for rural revitalization, and are expected to hit the trail in Georgia in the coming days. Coming on the heels of Governor Gavin Newsom's endorsement, the announcements of support are expected to further bolster Vice President Gore’s campaign nationwide as he continues to gather momentum heading into Super Tuesday.

Vice President Gore's campaign is expected to make a full court press in Georgia in the coming days, with a seven day sprint ending in a hopeful election night victory in Atlanta on February 13th. Surrogates, ads, and canvassers are expected to flood into the state, setting up another battle with the current Vice President, Kamala Harris, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

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Georgia on my Mind: To Beat a Frontrunner

Source: Me

Georgia. In Al Gore’s lifetime the state had gone through a political metamorphosis, and back again, and now his political future could well hang on the state. One week ago a southern primary had propelled his candidacy into viability, and now a southern primary might just send it into the stratosphere. There could be no rest over the next seven days. No stone left unturned for votes. It would take the entire campaign’s effort, but if Georgia could be won, so could any state. For the next seven days Al Gore would have one thing on his mind: Georgia.

In the leadup to the Georgia Primary, the Gore Campaign had finally coalesced around its messaging for this final push: He was the only candidate that could win. He was the only candidate who could continue to restore America’s faith in her democracy, protect voting rights, and go toe to toe with figures like Vladimir Putin around the world. He was the only candidate with concrete plans that could actually pass through the closely divided congress that was bound to be elected in 2024. Al Gore was the only serious statesman in the race.

The Gore Campaign would, like in its final kickoffs in South Carolina and New Hampshire, begin with a large rally in Atlanta. While the campaign would fight for every vote from the Appalachian foothills down to Savannah, Atlanta and her suburbs would decide this race, one way or another, and this would require organization. Luckily for the Gore Campaign, Georgia had been one of the first states they had decided to compete in, and their roots in the state ran deep. All through the winter they had been turning out supporters to early vote, and with momentum coming their way after South Carolina, they were rapidly able to ramp up the voter turnout operation, especially as organizers flooded into the state from South Carolina and then New Hampshire. As the Gore Campaign toured Atlanta and her expanding suburbs, Gore organizers canvassed, recruited volunteers, and got folks the polls while engaging in an intensive GOTV and persuasion campaign.

February 7th, 2024: “I Don’t Care who the Republicans Nominate…We’ll Whip Them”

Source: National Catholic Reporter

As the pieces fell into place for a Gore victory on Tuesday, on February 7th, Al Gore strode onto the stage in Grant Park to address the crowd of thousands and launch the final push for victory in Georgia.

Ladies and gentlemen…it is good to be back in Georgia! I have been all over the country these past seven months, but let me tell you, I always look forward to coming back to Atlanta. There is something special about being back in the South, being home. But it also reminds me of what we are fighting for in this election. No one needs to remind you all of what’s at stake in this election. Our rights are on the line, the rights that we all have spent the better part of 300 years fighting for are on the chopping block. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are under attack. Voting rights are under fire across the country. You saw right here what happens when you lose a close race - Republicans took a hatchet to the inalienable rights of Georgians. We cannot afford to let that happen this year.

I know what the Republicans are gonna throw at us this fall. They’re gonna turn out every dirty trick, filing lawsuits, keeping people from voting, and spouting God knows what on Fox News. I’ve been subject to it once. I’m ready to tackle it head on. I don’t care who Republicans nominate, but when I’m the nominee, let me tell you, we’ll whip them.

But let’s be clear, this election is more than just winning. It is about what the Democratic Party can offer to the American people. We can no longer rely on this Court to protect our rights, that much is clear and the Democratic Party must make a new Voting Rights Act a reality. I will call Congress into session if I have to, in order to pass a new Voting Rights Act. If the states won’t respect your god given rights, then the federal government will. We need a candidate who will fight for every American’s rights and let me tell you, I know these fights aren’t easy. Halfway through the 20th century, when my father saw that thousands of his fellow Tennesseans were forced to obey Jim Crow laws, he knew America could do better.  He fought against the Southern Manifesto and for voting rights. He taught me all my life that that was what really counted. You cannot fold up when the going gets tough, no! You buckle down and you do what’s right. That’s what my father did, that’s what I did as Vice President and that is what I pledge to do as your President.

I believe in America. I believe that our best days are ahead of us, all we have to do is rise up and meet the challenge, and that is what we are going to do on January 20th next year when we’ve won this election. Thank you Atlanta! God bless Georgia and God bless the United States of America!

With the raucous Atlanta kickoff behind him, Al Gore took the suburbs, hosting meet and greets throughout Gwinnett, Cherokee, and Forsyth counties. Passing through these suburbs, the Vice President continued to stake himself as the mainstream, electable choice in this election, focusing on his plans for American renewal, investment into renewable energy, and his experience working with Congress. He continued to tout his push for a new Voting Rights Act.

February 8th, 2024 - February 9th 2024: “Rubber to the Road”

Source: The Atlantic

The next day would see another tour through the Atlanta suburbs, this time with rallies and events in Cobb, Douglas and Fayette counties. Again the Gore message was clear: he could win this election. He could work with Congress to protect and expand President Biden’s legacy. He was the experienced statesman ready to lead. In Marietta, the Vice President laid out his vision for the future.

I’m proud to be a Democrat. I also have been. We are the party of working people, not of special interests. We are the party of protecting civil rights. We are the party of fighting climate change. But if we are going to govern, if we are actually going to get done what we promise every election to get done, we have to nominate a candidate who can not only win, but who can take a Democratic Congress with him, and who can work with that Democratic Congress to make our big ideas a reality. As a Senator and as a Vice President I learned first hand how to work with Congress. I worked with Bill Clinton to get real reforms through a hostile Congress, I worked with Republicans to rein in President Reagan. I’ve got the knowhow to put rubber to the road and get these bills enacted.

The remainder of the day and Friday would be spent holding events and rallies throughout Fayette, Clayton and Henry Counties. Meeting with local Democratic clubs, civic groups, and volunteers at his own offices Gore hammered home his electability message time and time again. For these Georgia Democrats, and indeed for southern Democrats generally, what happened when you voted for the unelectable candidate was clear: your rights were whittled away.

February 10th, 2024: “Make Your Vote Count”

Source: Climate Reality Project

With the first Atlanta campaign push completed, the Gore team elected to spend Saturday hitting the mid-sized cities throughout the state. While dwarfed by Atlanta’s massive population, these cities, namely Athens, Columbus, Macon, Augusta and Savannah still had over 10% of the primary voters, and could provide the key to victory in a close race. The Vice President, joined by John Barrow, and where relevant local endorsers, intended to hit all of them in a whirlwind sprint through the Peach State. In Athens, Gore reiterated his progressive bonafides on climate change and civil rights. Passing through Columbus and Macon the Vice President expanded on this message, hammering home more intensely his message of small town revitalization in stops outside the cities. The Vice President did not expect to take much of the vote in this part of the state, but keeping the margins down here would be crucial. Al Gore’s sweep through these cities and small towns around them had the crucial impact of revitalizing the field program here. Reaching Augusta in the late afternoon, the Vice President also began to make his pitch to Merkley, Gillibrand and Whitmer voters in the final days of the race, making sure their voters understood that a split field would help no one.

You know, my advisors never want me to complement the other candidates, but we really do have some terrific candidates in this race, and that is terrific, not just for the party but for the country. And let me tell you, I get the desire to vote your heart on Tuesday I do, especially for the caliber of candidates that we have got running this year, but like it or not, the race in Georgia is down to three. And you’ve got to make your vote count, you’ve got to make sure your vote is as impactful as possible. Support the candidate you want to win this state who can actually win this state.

Following a late night rally in Savannah, the Vice President returned to Atlanta for the final push.

February 11th, 2024 - February 12, 2024: “The Future is…Something that We Make for Ourselves”

Source: Liberty Science Center

Sunday morning the Vice President attended church services in an Atlanta Southern Baptist Church and after brunch and a meeting with Fulton County civic and Democratic leaders, began his penultimate swing through the Atlanta Metro. Sunday would be characterized by a sprint through DeKalb and Fulton Counties, energizing the field program in the area and evening joining canvassers for an afternoon shift. That evening the Vice President would cap off the day with a major rally in DeCatur.
   
Monday arrived as the last chance, and would start with events at 10:00 AM in Cobb County and run until a 7:00 PM rally in Atlanta. Throughout the day Vice President Gore met voters, rallied the field program, and prepared for a restless night. As he strode before the screaming crowd, he was ready to deliver his final message.

In our democracy, the future is not something that just happens to us, it's something that we make for ourselves together. I grew up before LBJ’s war on poverty, before the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. My mother grew up in poverty in West Tennessee, and remembered the days before the New Deal. My father grew up in a tiny town in Central Tennessee and put himself through night school. I know very well what it looks like when the government hangs you out to dry. When the government doesn’t work to protect democracy all across the country or to lift people out of poverty or to fight for Civil Rights. I know what’s at stake. This country needs leadership that is ready to renew and protect the American promise forged in the New Deal and the Civil Rights movement: that everyone has a place here. That your rights are yours and no one else's. That the government will protect you when your rights are under attack.

I don’t buy into the pessimism of the other candidates. Yes, the challenges before us are great, but I believe in America. I believe in American democracy. And I believe in you all. There has not yet been a challenge too great for Americans to overcome, and together we can certainly triumph over whatever comes over that horizon. Thank you all very much.

February 13th, 2024: One Thing on his Mind

As primary day arrived, the Vice President launched a handful of canvass launches throughout the day and then settled into the Atlanta Headquarters to await the final results. He had one thing on his mind.

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Al Gore Ad: Legacy

Source: NYT

Pictures of Al Gore's Parents Flash Across the Screen

My mother and father grew up in small, poor towns in Tennessee. They worked all their lives. They saw the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, the Moon Landing and the Vietnam War. My mother lost her job during the Great Depression and my father was booted out of Congress for supporting Civil Rights. They taught me to stand up for the little guy. They taught me to fight for what was right, even if it meant being unpopular. They both inspired me to devote my life to public service and to give back to your country.

Camera Shifts to Al Gore Speaking Directly to the Audience

I thought I was done with politics. I was tired and I was frustrated. And then 2016 happened, and January 6th happened, and reproductive healthcare came under attack, and I knew what my parents would have wanted me to do. I am running for President because I couldn’t bear to stand idly by while our democracy withered and our rights slipped away.

I am running for President because I could not stand to let the country that I love turn into something that I don’t recognize. I am running for President because I know you all understand the stakes of this election as much as I do. I am running for President to make sure that our legacy will not be that of  the Americans that gave up on democracy, but instead that of the Americans who saved it.

I’m Al Gore and I approve this message.

*To air in all Georgia media markets.*

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Gorementum goes Nationwide:

Source: Me

With the primary campaign about to go national, the Gore Campaign will begin using its extensive endorsement list to begin developing organizations in states across the country, particularly in the upcoming Super Tuesday Primary States.

Surrogate Schedule:

Georgia:
Former Representative John Barrow: Barrow will over the next week host various events and turn out the vote throughout the coastal plain of Georgia and in particular throughout his old congressional district. The messaging here will focus on the Vice President’s plan for rural and small town America. In addition, Barrow will hammer home the efforts at voter consolidation, encouraging Merkley, Whitmer and Gillibrand supporters to back Gore in Georgia so that their candidates have a shot in other states nationwide.

Virginia:
Senator Tim Kaine: Senator Kaine will be appointed co-chair of Gore’s Virginia campaign and will begin meeting with local elected officials throughout the state, cultivating relationships and encouraging them to support Vice President Gore ahead of the Virginia primary. Senator Kaine will focus these efforts primarily on Northern Virginia and the DC suburbs.
Virginia Congressman Bobby Scott: Congressman Scott will be appointed co-chair of Gore’s Virginia campaign and will focus his efforts on Southside and Richmond, again cultivating relationships with elected officials and prepping the organization to kick into gear ahead of the primary.

Arizona:
Senator Mark Kelly: Senator Kelly will be appointed chair of Gore’s Arizona campaign. Arizona is a must win state in the west, particularly to defeat perceptions of the Vice President’s weakness with western voters. Kelly will help jump start the Gore team in the state and will again lobby elected officials in the Phoenix and Tucson areas to back the Vice President.

Colorado:
Senator John Hickenlooper: Senator Hickenlooper will be appointed Chair of the Gore Colorado campaign, and using his connections as both Senator and Former Governor of the state will begin to build the Gore organization in the state, holding events, and building connections with local elected officials.

Tennessee:
Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen: Congressman Cohen, as expected, will head up the Gore Tennessee Campaign. While Tennessee should be a strong victory for the Gore team it is important to drive up the margins there and get as many delegates as possible out of the state, so Cohen will work to develop a rudimentary field team in Nashville and Memphis as well as ensure that Gore’s financial ties to the state continue to allow for funds to come into the campaign.

North Carolina:
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper: Governor Cooper will be appointed as Chair of the Gore Campaign in North Carolina. He will focus on getting endorsements for Gore from elected officials in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Asheville.

Louisiana:
Former Governor John Bel Edwards and Former Governor Mary Landrieu: These two officials with Co-Chair the Gore Campaign in Louisiana and focus on appealing to the rural Democrats who powered both of these candidates’ victories as well as working to rally as much of whatever is left of establishment Democrats in the state around Vice President Gore.

Alabama:
Former Alabama Senator Doug Jones: Former Senator Jones will head up the Gore efforts in Alabama, working to improve the Vice President’s standing in the state, which despite an expected loss on Super Tuesday, will be important for delegate math.

Texas:
Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett: Congressman Doggett will head up Gore’s efforts in the Lone Star State, fundraising and meeting with officials in Austin, Houston, Dallas and the Valley.

California:
Governor Gavin Newsom: Governor Newsom will have a prominent position in the Gore Campaign both nationally and in his home state of California. For the moment however, Governor Newsom will be appointed Chair of the Gore Campaign in California. Much like Alabama it is almost certain that Kamala Harris will take this state on Super Tuesday, but the margins here are important particularly for the delegate math. Newsom will use his connections in the state to kickstart the Gore organization and to rally his endorsements and support behind Vice President Gore. He will bring Gorementum to the state of California, hopefully allowing Vice President Gore to keep the delegate spread low.

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Source: Tweetgen

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Gore Campaign Hits back at Vice President Harris

Politico
February 12th, 2024

Washington had been waiting for the Democratic primary contenders to finally take the kid gloves off, and in the last few days that has happened. Following Vice President Harris’ jabs at Vice President Gore, several Gore surrogates shot back at Harris, calling into question her record and electoral experience. While Vice President Gore is expected to stay above the fray for now, this new spat is expected to inaugurate a new phase in the increasingly competitive Democratic primary.

Being interviewed by a local television station in northern Georgia, John Bel Edwards, sounding the starting gun, pointedly asked, “If Vice President Harris wants to talk about the past so much, why can’t she explain why she let bankers like Steve Mnuchin off the hook for illegally foreclosing on tens of thousands of Californians? Al Gore is more than happy to talk about his record in the 90s when this country experienced unparalleled prosperity, we’re still waiting for any sort of explanation about Vice President Harris’s record. ”

Meanwhile, Steve Cohen was heard commenting to supporters in Atlanta that, “Look I respect Vice President Harris, but she has yet to tell us how you can be progressive while throwing 1,500 people in jail for smoking a little pot - what is going on here? If you want to talk about out of touch, sheesh.”

However, the Gore Campaign took the most umbrage with the Harris campaign's attacks on Al Gore's father with Mary Landrieu criticizing the tenor of Vice President Harris’s campaign in a stop in Savannah, Georgia. “If you want to attack a candidate, that’s fair game, but I really think the unfounded attack on Al’s father is uncalled for. Leave the family out of it, particularly a man’s father who lost his Senate seat fighting for Civil Rights in the 1960s.”

While Vice President Gore's Press Secretary commented that the candidate "has tried to keep his campaign positive," there appears to be growing relish to take the fight to a campaign which is widely understood by Gore insiders to have broken the unofficial truce in the Democratic primary.

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Vice President Gore Addresses the “Family Feud”

Source: PBS NewsHour

Gore

Thank you all for being here. I wanted to address the recent, let’s call it “family feud,” in the Democratic Party. I want to make a few things clear: We’ve got to keep this campaign about issues. We’ve got to drop the attacks on our families and our backgrounds. These kinds of jabs are unbecoming of a serious political party or of a serious candidate. We are the party of ideas and issues, not of cheap, petty attacks.

But beyond all that, we have to remember that this is a family feud. Just like any Thanksgiving where you’re gonna fight with your family, at the end of the day, they’re your family. Every candidate in this race is running for the highest office in the land - it is an awesome responsibility and tensions are going to flair. No matter what happens we’re gonna whip whatever radical the GOP tries to sell to the American people.

Reporter 1:

But Mr. Vice President, Vice President Harris has shown no inclination to drop the insinuations about your family and your career.

Gore:

Look, I respect the Vice President in many ways, but I think the American people will see through these insinuations. I am a former Senator, a former Vice President, and now a Presidential candidate with grandchildren, who has devoted his life to public service. Both of my parents grew up in poverty and every summer I worked on the family farm. I’m not going to belabor the point, I think the American people can make their own conclusion about my background. At the end of the day though, these attacks have got to stop, for the good of the party, and more importantly for the good of the country.

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Nationwide Endorsements Pour in for Vice President Gore

Source: Me

Politico
February 18, 2024

As Vice President Gore continues to consolidate the mainstream of the party behind him, endorsements from across the country have begun to pour. From Oklahoma where former representative Kendra Horn has endorsed the campaign, to Maine where Senator Angus King has thrown his weight behind the Former Vice President, the endorsements all rang with one message: Al Gore can win and govern on day one. There are reportedly growing concerns in the party that the division between the six candidates may allow Vice President Harris to advance to the nomination unopposed, thereby imperiling Democratic chances at holding the White House this fall. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., commenting to the press after a joint rally with Vice President Gore, explained his endorsement, “I respect Vice President Harris, if she is the nominee I will vote for her, but if she is the nominee she will lose.”

Full list of New Endorsements:
Mike Beebe, Former Arkansas Governor
Frank Scott Jr., Little Rock Mayor
Ben McAdams, Former Utah Congressman
Deborah Ross, North Carolina Representative
Jeff Jackson, North Carolina Representative
Tom Harkin, Former Iowa Senator
Walt Maddox, Tuscaloosa Mayor
Kendra Horn, Former Oklahoma Representative
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Representative
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Representative
Angus King, Maine Senator

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Advertisement: Vote for your Future/Electable

Source: DreamsTime

Open to testimonials of California Democrats

Voter 1:
Kamala barely won in California.

Voter 2:
She’s losing to Ron DeSantis and Josh Hawley!

Voter 3:
Look, I like her, but I’m worried about another 2016.

Voter 1:
I’ve voted for her in every race, but every race is always closer than it needs to be.

Voter 2:
I’m voting for someone who can win.

Voter 3:
I’m voting for Al Gore.

Voter 1:
I’m voting for my future.

*To run in all Super Tuesday states and in Michigan.*

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Gore Campaign: 2/14-2/27

Source: Me

Overview

Georgia could have catapulted the Gore Campaign to the top of the pack, and now they were to continue the slog. Vice President Gore knew that the next three weeks would be a sprint, but with the other campaigns going for the kill in Michigan, he and his team had a unique opportunity to hit the ground running over the next three weeks in the Super Tuesday states. Nevertheless, while it was clear that Governor Whitmer would carry Michigan, and that the campaign would not be devoting resources on the scale of Georgia to the state, it was important that the Gore Campaign have a strong enough showing there both to prevent a shock Harris upset, and to ensure that his campaign would not be damaged by an extremely poor showing. Walking this tightrope would be the key to success over the next few weeks.

Michigan Bound: 2/14-2/15

Source: Action 5 News

The Gore Campaign would make two separate swings through the state of Michigan. The first, immediately following the Vice President’s departure from New Hampshire would take two days and would primarily be focused on the Detroit suburbs, as well as Lansing, and Grand Rapids. The swing through the state would be typified by the message that his campaign had honed in Georgia and which had nearly allowed him to make up a nine point deficit: He was the only candidate who could continue to restore America’s faith in her democracy, protect voting rights, and go toe to toe with figures like Vladimir Putin around the world. He was the only candidate with concrete plans that could actually pass through the closely divided congress that was bound to be elected in 2024. Al Gore was the only serious statesman in the race and the only candidate who could win.

The stops in the state would also have the effect of rallying the field team and the volunteers and supporters in the state. It was imperative that the Gore vote share remain above 15%, lest Vice President Harris begin a consolidation of the vote.

Southern Swing: 2/15-2/20

Departing Michigan, the Vice President would begin a marathon tour of the Upper South, starting in the DC suburbs with Senator Tim Kaine and Representative Don Beyer. In the DC suburbs, Gore’s approach would be focused on his record abroad and his ability to unite the country.

“As Vice President, we witnessed the fallout from the collapse of the Soviet Union and humanitarian crises around the globe. I got the experience and knowhow to go toe to toe with tinpot dictators around the world and to grapple with humanitarian violence the likes of which we are seeing today.”

Swinging south to Richmond and Southside, the Vice President was joined by Congressman Bobby Scott, where he touted his plans for rural renewal and growth and hammered home the need to have someone who can govern effectively in the White House.

From Virginia, Vice President Gore would travel down into North Carolina, where joined by Governor Roy Cooper, and Representatives Jackson and Ross, he would make his pitch to voters in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham and Asheville.

“Look, I know what it takes to win. I’ve dealt with every Republican dirty trick there is, much like your own Governor and Representatives. I know what they are going to throw at me because they’ve already thrown it at me. I’m ready to run and win now. I’m ready to fight for medicare expansion, and for rural investment. I’m ready to fight against climate change and for democracy. I’m ready to fight for you.”

The tour through North Carolina completed, Al Gore would return to his homebase in Tennessee where he would make stops in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville and Memphis. Here the Vice President would hit all the high notes and work to ensure that they had a knockout win in Tennessee. From his final Tennessee stop in Memphis, Vice President Gore would hit Little Rock and then Fayetteville, Arkansas, being joined in the former by its mayor.

“It was 32 years ago that I stepped out on stage with your Governor. It was 32 years ago that we brought some southern charm to win the White House, and you know what I say? I say it’s time to do that again!"

Midwestern Adventure: 2/20-2/21

Source: WKNO FM

Following the tour of the South, including many of Gore's must win states on Super Tuesday, his campaign would take a two day detour through Iowa and Minnesota. These were states which Gore did not expect to win, but strong showings here would be important to the delegate game.

In a stop in Des Moines, before heading to Iowa City with Former Senator Tom Harkin, new Gore messaging against Vice President Harris began to take shape. Commenting to the press, Vice President Gore was heard saying:

“I want to be clear I respect Vice President Harris, but I can’t quite tell what she is running on. To half her audiences she’s the tried and true progressive ready to fight for medicare for all, and to the other half she’s the bonafide moderate. More than the fact I can’t tell what she’s running on, I’m not sure she knows herself.”

From Iowa, the Vice President headed to Minnesota, and in particular Minneapolis and its environs. Again, while Minnesota was not an expected win, a strong showing in the Minneapolis suburbs could bolster Gore’s delegate math after Super Tuesday. His stops in the area would focus on his plans for healthcare including expanding Medicare to include an opt-in for those 55 and older and provide a public option health insurance program to compete with the private insurance companies.

Michigan March: 2/21-2/22

From Minneapolis the Vice President would make his final swing through Michigan before its primary on the 27th. This push would continue the messaging of the past few weeks, with a push for electability in the larger population centers and a push for rural renewal when the Vice President hit the rural parts of the state. Additionally the Vice President would begin to explicitly tie himself to the progress of the 1990s on this foray, highlighting his record as a time of stability and prosperity and promising to continue that legacy as President. As he prepared to leave Michigan behind, the Vice President made his final pitch to voters.

“We have for too long taken democracy for granted. We’ve behaved as if elections don’t have consequences, that the courts will save us from the mistakes of our elected officials, or that there is no difference between the two parties. I hope by now that you all have been disabused of that notion. We have no one to rely on but ourselves to save our rights from a party that is hellbent on rolling them back and a court which is more than happy to go along with that plan. It is up to all of you to see that we accomplish this task by choosing a nominee who can win this election and can take a Democratic Congress with them.”

New England…Again:  2/22-2/24

With Michigan now in the hands of the field team, Vice President Gore headed to New England. Here the main focus would be on Massachusetts and Maine, where, bolstered by endorsements from Representatives Auchincloss and Moulton in Massachusetts, and Senator King in Maine, the campaign felt some momentum at their back.

In Massachusetts, the Gore campaign would focus primarily on Boston and its suburbs, along with more of the working class areas in South Massachusetts near Rhode Island. There the message would be Gore’s pragmatism and governing style. His campaign would work to establish itself as the mainstream choice for voters in this area, reminding voters of the prosperity of the 90s and Gore’s commitment to unify the country.

In Maine, meanwhile, Gore would hammer home his ability to work with Congress, featuring Senator King in several events in the state, and highlighting to voters his pragmatic plans that can actually get passed.

Western Way: 2/24-2/26

Source: Newsweek

From New England, Gore would head west, hitting the three western Super Tuesday in the same number of days. The theme on this portion of the journey would be the climate. Noting the devastation that climate change had already brought to the western United States, Gore would highlight his plans to continue America’s role as a climate leader and the ways in which we can turn back the clock on climate change.

“I don’t have to tell you all what’s at stake if we decide to follow the Republicans on climate policy. You all know better than anyone what’s at stake. Out of control fires, drought, and disaster is all that lies down that road. But that is not the only path that we can take. President Biden has put the United States on the path to being the leader on climate change globally and we must continue on that path. We are on the verge of incredible new technologies that can not only prevent future damage but even undo some of the damage already done. We have the potential to turn back the clock and at the same time create new jobs at home with proper investment and that is what I plan to do as President.

Texas Trek: 2/26-2/27

The final portion of the campaign would be spent in Texas and Oklahoma, rallying first with Kendra Horn in Oklahoma City before going south into Texas and making stops in Dallas, Houston and Austin. The swings through Texas would focus on Gore’s ability to expand the electoral map and his sensible plans to reform American immigration policy.

“The talk by some about amnesty and about decriminalization misses the point - it is bad policy making that got us to this crisis in American immigration. We have made it nearly impossible for people to actually get citizenship legally. Many of our ancestors simply hopped on a boat and got off on an island with hardly any paperwork and that was that. Today potential immigrants need to fill out document upon document to even have a chance at citizenship. It is time to streamline that process.”

Messaging

The Gore Campaign messaging would continue to highlight Vice President Gore as the only electable candidate in the race and as the elder statesman who came back at the country’s time of need. In addition to this, messaging would highlight his commitment to climate change, his legacy of leadership in the 80s and 90s, and his commitment to rural revitalization. The Gore Campaign’s Legacy advertisement will be a key part of this messaging and will, along with the Future/Electable spot, feature prominently in the campaign’s media strategy.

At the same time, critiques of Vice President Harris will need to be sharpened. Attacks on Vice President Harris’s record as Attorney General, which she has yet to effectively answer will be brought up by surrogates on the campaign trail, and new attack lines about her mixed campaign messaging (is she moderate or progressive? Why is she running?) will be introduced. In particular her conduct (i.e., leniency) around Steve Mnuchin and her imprisonment of non-dangerous drug offenders will be highlighted. Messaging to this effect will take place across the Super Tuesday states and will be conducted through online, television and radio advertising.

Field Program

Resources towards developing a field program in the various Super Tuesday states will be allocated according to the tiers below. Generally offices will be set up in suburban areas first, urban areas second, and if possible in small towns last. Field program messaging will mirror that of the national campaign, and the Gore Campaign’s field experience in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Georgia will be utilized to build strong programs quickly in Super Tuesday states.

Resource Devotion
Tier 1:
Virginia
North Carolina
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Maine

Tier 2:
Utah
Iowa
Minnesota
Texas
Massachusetts
Tennessee

Tier 3:
Alabama
Colorado
California
Vermont

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Al Gore Ad: Legacy

Source: NYT

Pictures of Al Gore's Parents Flash Across the Screen

My mother and father grew up in small, poor towns in Tennessee. They worked all their lives. They saw the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, the Moon Landing and the Vietnam War. My mother lost her job during the Great Depression and my father was booted out of Congress for supporting Civil Rights. They taught me to stand up for the little guy. They taught me to fight for what was right, even if it meant being unpopular. They both inspired me to devote my life to public service and to give back to your country.

Camera Shifts to Al Gore Speaking Directly to the Audience

I thought I was done with politics. I was tired and I was frustrated. And then 2016 happened, and January 6th happened, and reproductive healthcare came under attack, and I knew what my parents would have wanted me to do. I am running for President because I couldn’t bear to stand idly by while our democracy withered and our rights slipped away.

I am running for President because I could not stand to let the country that I love turn into something that I don’t recognize. I am running for President because I know you all understand the stakes of this election as much as I do. I am running for President to make sure that our legacy will not be that of  the Americans that gave up on democracy, but instead that of the Americans who saved it.

I’m Al Gore and I approve this message.

*To air in all Georgia media markets.*

*To be replayed in Super Tuesday states and Michigan.*