Bradley, Gore stump in Washington state

Discuss the Democratic primaries

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - Bill Bradley, wrapping up his six-day, us-against-the-world presidential campaign in Washington state, says Pacific Northwest voters can send a message across the nation during Tuesday's primary.

But they have to remember to send it again in the party caucuses a week later, if he's to make a dent in Vice President Al Gore's status as front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

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''This is the first step of the Washington two-step. If we do well on Tuesday, then we do well in the caucuses,'' Bradley told more than 300 supporters crammed into a middle-school auditorium in Vancouver, located across the Columbia River from Portland, Ore. ''Then we beat the establishment powers!''

Bradley has been campaigning in Washington state since last Wednesday in hopes of winning the state's ''beauty contest'' presidential primary on Tuesday. But no delegates will be awarded Tuesday; they will be apportioned based on party caucuses one week later.

Even as he campaigned in Colorado today, Gore was keeping an eye over his shoulder on Washington state. He phoned in drive-time interviews to Seattle radio stations this morning before heading to rallies in Denver and Pueblo.

Gore told interviewers he was ''optimistic'' about Tuesday's primary and answered questions about smoking marijuana in his youth (''I certainly encourage young people not to get involved in that'') and labeling of objectionable music lyrics (''I think parents deserve that'').

He told sports talk station KJR his reputation for stiffness came from his vice presidential role. Gore said instead of giving his own ''personal, spontaneous reaction'' to events as vice president, he had to think ''how can I help the team on this? Running for president, it's very different, you've got to make a personal connection.''

Bradley planned two last events in Seattle today - greeting ferry commuters and attending a rally at the University of Washington - before heading off to California, which is the big prize in next week's ''Super Tuesday'' battle.

Gore campaigned Sunday at Seattle's Franklin High School and later talked to local families in Redmond, Wash., on the issue of pipeline safety - something Bradley addressed in two bills in the Senate and campaigned on here last week.

Three people were killed last June when a pipeline leak turned into a massive fireball in Bellingham, Wash. The same pipeline runs through Redmond.

Just as he stepped off Air Force Two in Denver late Sunday night, Gore hit all the local 10 o'clock TV news broadcasts with a round robin of live interviews from the tarmac.

''I don't know why the other candidates have been ignoring Colorado,'' which has 51 Democratic delegates up for grabs in its March 10 primary, Gore told KMGH-TV.

Bradley picked up newspaper endorsements Sunday from The Hartford Courant and The Maine Sunday Telegram. Gore, who was heading to Denver, was endorsed by The Sun of Baltimore.

Gore's one cutting swipe Sunday at Bradley followed a more elaborate assault late Saturday before loyalists at a state Democratic Party chili fest. There, Gore said he wanted a ''clear and decisive'' verdict from Tuesday's nonbinding primary, and he accused Bradley of trying to sink the Democratic Party in ''a cauldron of wedge issues and phony labels.''

In his stump speeches and advertising, Bradley has been scrutinizing Gore's past record against abortion rights and gun control.

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