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WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. (News Agencies) - Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore will announce his running mate on August 8th in Tennessee, although he was still mulling over the crucial decision as he vacationed on Saturday with his family. "Not yet," the vice president told reporters who asked him if he had come to a decision. Gore said earlier this week he had narrowed the list of possible running mates to less than 10 candidates. The date of Gore's announcement, disclosed by Gore campaign spokesman Chris Lehane in a conference call with reporters, would be six days before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where Gore will officially accept the Democratic presidential nomination. Lehane's announcement came two days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and seemed calculated to grab the headlines. Gore aides said previously they would not allow Republicans to dominate the airwaves for an entire week. In a move also aimed at blunting the impact of the Republican convention, a Democratic source said the party would significantly increase its airing of advertisements next week with a new Gore spot running in 17 states and costing about $3.5 million. The vice president has slipped in recent opinion polls after his Republican rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, named former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as his running mate on Tuesday. "This selection process will be in sharp contrast to the carnival-like atmosphere" that surrounded Bush's selection of Cheney, Lehane said. The process would not involve news conferences with rumored running mates or a massive questionnaire to learn details of their past as the Republicans did in their selection process, Lehane said. Democrats launched a ferocious attack on Cheney as too conservative after he was selected and Republicans have promised similar treatment for Gore's choice. Those considered among Gore's possible choices as a vice presidential candidate include Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa, North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell of Maine. Declining to speculate about who was on Gore's list of possible running mates, Lehane would only describe it as ''diverse.'' Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who is running the search for Gore's running mate, did not plan to meet with the vice president while Gore vacationed on a private island off the North Carolina coast, Lehane said. Keeping a low profile as Bush and the Republicans geared up for their convention starting on Monday, Gore has holed up on the island for a few days of vacation, and seemed to be concentrating on having fun. "We're just having a good time, we're just relaxing," Gore said as he walked barefoot along the beach on Figure Eight Island with his wife, Tipper, daughter Sarah and brother-in-law Frank Hunger. Gore and his family spoke to a few people on the beach and waved to others watching from the decks of their oceanfront houses. The vice president said earlier this week that he would also work on his acceptance speech for the Democratic National Convention, which runs from August 14th to 17th in Los Angeles. |
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