Gore's native state is still undecided

Nashville, Tenn. -- The Gore and Bush campaigns were handing out stickers at the Tennessee Titans football game in Nashville yesterday. But most fans leaving the game were not wearing any political accessories. In fact, in the capital of the state Al Gore calls home and yet has failed to secure, the mood was far from political. "I just hear so much hype about [the election], but honestly, whoever wins, the main power is in Congress," said Rebecca James, a waitress who works in downtown Nashville. "I think either [candidate] will do a good job." Voter turnout is expected to be low in Tennessee this election and it also looks like the state may still be up for grabs -- despite Gore's hometown connection. In the latest Mason-Dixon poll of likely Tennessee voters, Gore trails Bush by four percentage points, 45-49. "I think Tennessee is definitely going for Bush," Mike Connell, a football fan, said. "Look around.... This is where Al Gore's national campaign headquarters is, and do you see much support for Gore or Lieberman?" A lot of time has passed since the Tennessee native left the Senate to become vice president in 1993. Since then, the state has become increasingly more Republican. The state's congressional delegation is mostly Republican and Republicans Fred Thompson and Bill Frist represent the state in the Senate. In recent campaign appearances, Gore has tried to convince Tennesseeans that he is one of them. He has said that he volunteered for service in Vietnam so that someone else from his county would not be drafted. Gore, who once counted on Tennessee's 11 electoral votes as a given, has been forced to campaign here extremely close to the election. Still, he has been spending more time in electorally rich states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. On Saturday, Gore was in Memphis before heading on to Pennsylvania. The Bush campaign considers Gore's fighting for Tennessee to be a good sign. "I think that it speaks volumes that the people who know Al Gore best are by increasing margins supporting George Bush," Bush spokesman Ken Lisaius said. "Tennessee will be Bush's," he predicted. Bush will be campaigning in the state today. Still, the Gore campaign is confident they have the better operation for ensuring good voter turnout across the country. "Republicans have more money," Gore spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said. "Democrats are better at turning out voters."