Vice President Al Gore likely will be the Democratic candidate for president, and some people at Iowa State believe he has a good shot at getting elected in 2000.

Paxton Williams, interim president of ISU Democrats, said it is because of Gore’s long record of service in government and the armed forces that he has a sizable chance of becoming the next president.

“[His record has] shown him to be a capable individual and an individual who is willing to stand behind his record,” said Williams, junior in political science.

Jim Hutter, adviser of ISU Democrats and associate professor of political science, said he thinks at this point Gore’s chances of being elected president are “better than 50 percent, but not a lot better.”

Hutter said as vice president, Gore “has been unusually involved in presidential activities.”

“One of the key characteristics of Gore is that [President Bill] Clinton made him more involved in governing, made more of a partner of Gore than just about any president has in the history of this country,” he said.

One of the things Gore accomplished as vice president, Hutter said, was “bringing the Internet to the federal government.”

Hutter said he also was the administration spokesman on global warming and “led the effort to reduce government paperwork and bureaucracy and reduce the number of people in the government itself.”

In addition, Hutter called Gore an “adviser and close confidant” to Clinton.

Jim Siegel, a member of both the Story County Democrats and ISU Democrats, agreed Gore has accomplished much in the last few years as vice president.

“He’s possibly the most experienced presidential candidate the United States has ever seen,” said Siegel, freshman in computer engineering.

Hutter said he thinks the Monica Lewinsky scandal and Clinton’s impeachment trial may affect Gore’s chances of becoming president.

“There is an opportunity for Gore to be hurt by this, but there certainly is a way for Gore and other Democrats to use this as a way to get extra votes,” he said.

Hutter said the public disliked the way the media and Republicans handled the scandal. He said despite the high ratings of the Lewinsky interview, people did not want to hear about it.

“It’s kind of like driving by a car crash. You may slow down and watch, but that doesn’t mean they wanted to see it happen,” he said.

Williams said he also thought Gore could lose a few votes because of the scandal.

“Some people aren’t going to look at the actual political decisions made … they’re only going to look at the great national tragedy that’s occurred and say they don’t want anyone involved in that … to be president for the next few years,” he said.

Hutter said he does not think Gore has not been “tainted” by the scandal.

“He may not be as clean as [Elizabeth] Dole,” he said. “But he has a clean image.”

Hutter said Gore may not be as loved by some people as Clinton has been, but he also is not as hated by the opposition.

“Gore has got neither the highs nor the lows in public support as Clinton, and that is certainly a good thing for him,” he said.

Hutter said people perceive Gore as being stiff and unexciting, but that may not necessarily be a negative thing.

“Right now, I think the public is ready for a dull, boring, no problems, smooth-water kind of guy,” he said.

Williams said he thinks Gore is not as dull as people think and said Gore has “a sense of humor and dry wit … comparable to that of Ben Franklin.”

“Once people see the real Al Gore, questions about his personality and his charisma … won’t be an issue,” he said.

Siegel said he thinks Gore’s “reputation as a stiff” is undeserved, and when he saw Gore speak at the Memorial Union Monday, he seemed “quite enthusiastic.”

Hutter, however, said he does not think the public will find Gore to be an exciting person once they come to know him better.

“I think we know what Gore is,” he said. “He’s not going to become Mr. Dynamic.”