No More Front Runner

By KAREN TUMULTY

Al Gore's decision to bow out of the 2004 presidential race has thrown the contest for the Democratic nomination wide open. But according to the latest TIME/CNN poll, the person registered Democrats and those leaning Democratic would most like to see replace Gore is a politician who isn't even running: New York Senator Hillary Clinton. The former First Lady is the choice of 30% of those polled, more than double the response of any of the other contenders. Of those actually vying for the ticket, Gore's 2000 running mate, Joe Lieberman, and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry are the front runners, each with only 13%. Among all registered voters, President Bush beats both men handily: 55% to 39% in a race against Lieberman and 56% to 39% against Kerry. Now that Gore is out of the limelight, the Democrats must spend the next two years trying to help voters figure out just exactly who these guys are. --By Karen Tumulty