The Note, we have learned that there was a 222-person sub-sample of self-identified Democrats on that survey of 707 registered voters taken May 14-15 that was asked the following intriguing question: What if Al Gore does not run for President? If the Democratic primary election for President was held tomorrow and the candidates were (the following) who would you vote for?
Although Gore acts like he is running for president, he might not in the end, or he might run and then get out of the race for whatever reason before anyone votes, so the notion of a Gore-less field is not a totally academic one.
Here are the results: Lieberman 30, Gephardt 20, Kerry 12, Edwards 6, Dean 3. Daschle, Bradley, and others were not included.
That they volunteered Dean's name needs to be said, but still, 3% is better than 0%-- which up to now had been flatlining.
