Tipper Gore Mulling Senate Run

W A SH I N G T O N, March 15 -- Tipper Gore has told associates she is considering a run for the Democratic nomination to fill an open U.S. Senate in her home state of Tennessee, ABCNEWS has learned.

Whether the wife of former Vice President Al Gore will take the plunge is an open question, debated Friday by political operatives and journalists in Tennessee and Washington.

Arriving at a women's conference in Torrance, Calif., Tipper Gore did not respond to questions about her potential candidacy. She did speak this morning to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first-lady turned senator from New York.

"I had a chance to talk with Tipper this morning, and I believe this is something she is seriously considering," Clinton said in a statement.

A few Gore associates were quick to dismiss the idea, saying it would subject her to scrutiny she doesn't want and lead to a contested primary, which the Democratic Party would like to avoid.

But Gore's former chief of staff, Audrey Tayse Haynes, told ABCNEWS: "It's terrific, because Tipper is a very, very passionate person about her state about her country and about the issues."

Haynes said that, in her view, Gore would win the state.

Other Gore confidants shared Haynes's perspective, though they declined to be identified. Several Democrats said they thought Gore was seriously considering a candidacy.

Al and Tipper Gore will spend Saturday and Sunday in Tennessee, meeting with her friends and potential supporters. She has no public events.

A top Democratic official in Tennessee said that the upper echelon of the state party was informed of Tipper's cogitation by an Associated Press reporter, who called at 3 p.m. Thursday.

And the chair of that party, William Farmer, said that as of 2 p.m. today, he hadn't talked to Tipper Gore or anyone associated with the Gore family.

Asked about the chances for her candidacy, Farmer would only say, "Tipper Gore would be a fine candidate for any office she sought."

If Tipper Decides to Run She Has Her Challengers