Why did Gore have no serious opponents?

[Samof94]

Why didn't a proto-Sanders or some other serious challenger emerge against Gore and decide to run in 1999??

[TheTide]

Bradley was a serious opponent, just not a very successful one.

[Benjamin Frank 2.0]

There were several others who were planning to run or might have considered running but one by one they fell by the wayside.

1.Jesse Jackson was planning to run but I think the media told him they wouldn't hold back on reporting on his affairs like they did previously.

2.Paul Wellstone suffered a back injury shortly before the 2000 primary.

3.Bob Kerrey was going to run again and I forget why he didn't.

4.I don't know if George Mitchell was going to run or not but he was persuaded by the Clinton Administration to work on the peace accord over Northern Ireland instead.

5.There was one more who was mentioned, can't remember.

[Pres Mike]

The election wasn't expected to be close. Bush was leading polls since 1997, often by a lot. He was seen as the de facto president elect by most Americans in the late 90s. Most serious Democrats didn't see the point contesting the nomination.