Former vice president Al Gore will start campaigning for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to individuals briefed on the plan, in an effort to mobilize young voters who see climate change as a key issue.
The decision by Gore to plunge into the campaign during the final weeks shows the extent to which Democrats remain concerned that Clinton has yet to connect with many millennials, some of whom are backing third-party candidates this year. The former vice president, a climate activist, will speak about not just Clinton’s plan to address global warming, but also the idea that voting for an independent presidential candidate could deliver the White House to Republicans in the same way that Ralph Nader’s candidacy helped undermine his presidential bid in 2000.
CNN first reported Gore’s plans Monday evening.
Gore first endorsed Clinton’s candidacy in late July in a three-part tweet, writing, “Given her qualifications and experience and given the significant challenges facing our nation and the world, including, especially, the global climate crisis, I encourage everyone else to do the same.”
[Clinton is losing some millennials to third-party candiates]
But he has stayed largely on the sidelines during the campaign since then, in part because the two politicians have been distant since the end of Bill Clinton’s time in office. Their relationship became strained for many reasons, including the fact that Gore distanced himself from the two-term president in the wake of his affair with Monica Lewinsky, and they competed for Democratic donors when they were both running for office in 2000.
