Fans hope Gore will change his mind and go for it in '08

Story Highlights

• Al Gore fans across the nation want him to run in 2008
• He has repeatedly said he has no plans to run
• A poll shows him tied with Sen. John Edwards, a Democratic candidate

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Gore has not been running for president in 2008, and he says he doesn't plan to run for president in 2008.

He even resisted the chance to take the White House plunge in front of millions of viewers while on stage at the Oscars.

But that hasn't stopped some hard-core Gore-a-philes from hoping against hope that the former vice president will change his mind and seek the Democratic nomination.

Former Gore policy adviser Elaine Kamarck said she hears from people across the nation all the time, wishing that Gore would go for it.

"I think there are a lot of people holding out hope that he will eventually run," she said.

One Democratic fundraiser, who declined to be identified, told CNN that he is withholding endorsement of a Democratic candidate in 2008, waiting to see what Gore does.

Even Gore's former boss, Bill Clinton, alluded to the idea during a recent interview with CNN's Larry King.

"You've got the prospect that Vice President Gore might run," said the former president, whose wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, is the current Democratic front-runner.

After 16 years in Congress, Gore was vice president under Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. He was the Democratic nominee for president in 2000, losing to President Bush after a lengthy legal fight over voting results in Florida.

Gore toyed with the idea of a rematch against Bush in 2004, but he eventually decided against it. He has repeatedly said he has no plans to run in 2008.

Yet, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday showed that even without an active campaign, Gore was the choice of 12 percent of likely Democratic voters, putting him in a tie for third place with John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice presidential nominee, and behind only Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

"I really think Al Gore is the type of person our country needs," said Rep. Steven Cohen, a Democrat from Gore's home state of Tennessee. "He's got all the requisite experience. He's learned from his defeat."

However, some skeptics think time may be running out for Gore because, with eight Democrats already actively campaigning, he faces an increasingly stiff competition for staff and money.

"People will hold out, but only for so long," said Doug Hattaway, a former Gore campaign staffer. "There's a lot of enthusiasm about the current field of candidates, and people are going to feel pressured to get involved before the train's leaving the station."

The CNN/Opinion Research poll also found that 84 percent of likely Democratic voters were very or somewhat satisfied with the current crop of candidates, minus Gore.

Only 14 percent said they were not satisfied.