Kennedy Endorses Gore; Bradley Shrugs

Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore '69 picked up the late but not unexpected endorsement of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 Wednesday, less than a month before the first state primary of the campaign in New Hampshire.

Flanked by the candidate himself, along with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and a host of local and state officials at a Dorchester middle school, Kennedy praised Gore's commitment to working families, education and health care.

"I relish the opportunity to give my full-hearted and complete endorsement to my great friend, a magnificent vice president, and the next president of the United States, Al Gore," Kennedy said.

Echoing a theme of Gore's campaign, that he has been a more committed Democratic soldier than maverick opponent Bill Bradley, Kennedy said Gore has all the right credentials to receive his support.

"No one in this country has fought harder and been more effective for the principles of the Democratic Party than Al Gore," Kennedy said.

In the course of the five-minute endorsement speech, the liberal senator said Gore would be the "education president," the "strong economy president" and the "health care president."

Health care has long been an area of interest for Kennedy. He is currently a leading co-sponsor of national "patient's bill of rights legislation," and for years has championed federal efforts to provide health coverage for poor Americans.

In recent days, the Gore campaign has attacked Bradley's health reform proposals, saying they give the wealthy loopholes to deduct their insurance, while replacing the federal Medicare program that insures the poor with less-reliable vouchers for care.

Bradley has denied the charge, arguing that his proposal would increase the number of Americans with insurance coverage.

Bradley told reporters late Wednesday that Kennedy's endorsement would have no effect on voters. "All I have are the people," he said.

A Bradley campaign spokesperson said the endorsement reflected Gore's support among the Democratic establishment.

"It didn't come much of a surprise," he said.

"We're definitely up against entrenched power," responded Mo Elleithee, Bradley's New Hampshire press officer. Elleithee said he thinks the voters of New Hampshire are too independent to "base their decision on the endorsement game."

But a certain segment of the state's population--particularly the middle-class voters who commute to Massachusetts from southeastern New Hampshire suburbs--may find Kennedy's endorsement an incentive to support Gore, said Constantine J. Spiliotes, dean of the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy at Dartmouth College.

"Increasingly, a lot of New Hampshire residents are transplanted residents from Massachusetts, so it'll have more of an impact than it would have 20 years ago," Spiliotes said.

Though he is a fellow Harvard graduate and a party elder, Kennedy's endorsement of Gore was not always a sure bet. Kennedy's positions on the issues, particularly on health insurance coverage and poverty, are more in line with the views Bradley has promoted.

Also, Kennedy has criticized the Clinton administration's welfare reform efforts. In a December forum with Boston Globe editors, Kennedy hinted that he had not yet made up his mind who to endorse. But Gore's campaign and Democratic Party officials aggressively lobbied the senator to endorse the vice president before the Feb. 1 New Hampshire primary.

The Globe reported Tuesday that the campaign and the Massachusetts senator's staff held negotiations on just how to make the endorsement effective. Kennedy has endorsed the party's favored candidate before, including an enthusiastic nod for Michael Dukakis' presidential bid in 1988. He endorsed Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

Later Wednesday, Kennedy campaigned with Gore in Portsmouth, N.H. a few hours before the candidate engaged in his fourth debate of the primary season with Bradley just a short hop away in Manchester.

That debate focused on health care, and the candidates traded barbs on whose plan would insure more Americans.

Gore mentioned Kennedy's endorsement in the context of promoting his plan.

Bradley and Gore will also debate in Des Moines, Iowa this Sunday.

Their final debate before the Feb. 1 primary is on Jan 26. New Hampshire voters who are not registered with either major political party can vote for any candidate they wish.

With Gore trailing by as much as 12 points in several Granite State polls, these debates are crucial to boosting his support among these non-affiliated voters, a point which Gore himself made in Wednesday night's forum, dubbing himself as the underdog.

Spiliotes, who specializes in presidential politics, said that New Hampshire voters are carefully watching the vice president.

"Given the short amount of times we have left, he needs to do well in these debates. That's going to reach the most people. People are going to really pay attention to that now," Spiliotes said.