Bay State Democrats try to draft Gore

Al Gore isn't volunteering to jump into the presidential race, so some Massachusetts Democrats want to draft him.

A new statewide group announced today that it will launch a petition drive on Sept. 18 to try to get the former vice president on the March 4 primary ballot.

It needs to collect at least 2,500 verified signatures of registered voters by Dec. 21, but the group's leaders said they want to collect many more to show the depth of support for Gore.

"This is that rarity in American politics -- a genuine draft movement organized by citizens who believe firmly that America needs a specific candidate to lead the country. Gore received more than 50 million votes when he ran for President in 2000 and most of those voters still believe that he won," Fred Koed of Cohasset, a member of the Massachusetts State Democratic Committee, and the chair of Draft Gore Massachusetts, said in a statement.