Richardson, Biden most hurt if Gore in
by WonkoKevin
If Al Gore were to enter the presidential race, who would it hurt the most? The conventional think he’d bite into Clinton’s lead. That may happen down the road, but there’s slim chance of it happening out of the gate. Wonks discuss the possible impact to Obama and Edwards–there’s only room for one not-Hillary candidate they reason. Maybe, but Obama and Edwards supporters really like them a lot. If they were looking for an alternative, the could simply switch sides with each other. It’s more likely that Gore (hypothetically) comes into the race in the number four spot, so who does that hurt the most? The candidates vying for #4: Bill Richardson and Joe Biden. Wonkosphere numbers bear this hypothesis out. As Gore’s buzz share has increased in the last three days, it’s had no effect on the buzz share of Clinton, Obama, or Edwards; but it’s directly eaten into Richardson’s and Biden’s buzz share.
Update from CNN: “A source involved in Gore’s past political runs told CNN that he definitely has the ambition to use the peace prize as a springboard to run for president. But he will not run, because he won’t take on the political machine assembled by Sen. Hillary Clinton, said the source. If the senator from New York had faltered at all, Gore would take a serious look at entering the race, the source said. But Gore has calculated that Clinton is unstoppable, according to the source.”
