Gore to Campaign for Obama in the Sunshine State

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 7:47 AM on October 30, 2008.

I didn't really expect to see much more of Al Gore before Election Day. He gave a great speech at the Democratic convention, and he appeared in Michigan to endorse Obama, but the Nobel laureate seems anxious to move away from the appearance of being a partisan advocate.

Fortunately, though, that won't preclude a couple of stops on the campaign trail for Gore -- in a swing state that has a particular significance to him.

Al Gore -- Nobel laureate, Academy-Award winner, former vice president and presidential aspirant -- returns to Florida on Friday to campaign for fellow Democrat and current presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Gore will appear at "Vote for Change" rallies in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, according to a release just issued by the Obama campaign.

Gore returns (on Halloween, no less) to the land of butterfly ballots, hanging chads and a 36-day national recount drama that determined Gore lost and George W. Bush won the 2000 presidential election.

You think the Obama campaign sees Florida as a pick-up opportunity? That was Bill Clinton in Florida on Wednesday, that'll be Al Gore in Florida on Friday, and both Obama and Biden have spent quite a bit of time in the state this week themselves.

If this doesn't help motivate Sunshine State Democrats, I don't know what will.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

Tagged as: clinton, obama, florida, gore