With the Iowa caucuses scheduled for this coming Monday, Vice President Al Gore's bid for the Democratic nomination has come back strong from its nadir in October and November. At that time, a number of polls throughout the Northeast showed challenger Bill Bradley with leads over Gore. Now, these polls are turning back in Gore's favor, consistent with the Vice President's strong standing in Iowa and other places around the country. A new survey conducted by the University of Massachusetts in that state shows Gore leading Bradley by 42 to 36 percent. Three months ago, Bradley led by 43 to 35 percent.

Gore is expected to do well in Iowa, where he leads Bradley by more than 20 points in state surveys.

One of the reasons why the Vice President has seen a resurgence in his political prospects has been his successful strategy over the past few months of raising doubts about Bradley and pinning negative information on him. For example, in the first debate, Gore criticized Bradley's health care proposal as irresponsible and overly expensive. In more recent debates, he has challenged Bradley's mastery of agricultural issues and the Senator's aloofness from the political process. Bradley's failure to respond successfully to these criticisms has helped Gore re-establish himself as the political frontrunner for the nomination.