It might be a race after all. The signs from the hustings are that the 2000 U.S. presidential nominations, once thought to have been sewn up by Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush (as Democrat and Republican, respectively), might not be guaranteed. Mr. Gore's position looks more precarious than that of Mr. Bush, but even the GOP's heir apparent may have a scrap ahead.

As the vice president, Mr. Gore is the presumptive favorite to lead the Democratic ticket next year. A strong economy and enough distance from President Bill Clinton to escape the whiff of scandal -- and underlined by a criticism or two -- would normally guarantee Mr. Gore the nomination and even a win in November. But Mr. Gore seems to have gotten lost on the road to next summer's convention. His campaign has been lackluster, his message has been obscured. Mr. Clinton's own shortcomings have stained the vice president's image. Worse, key Democrats -- both officials within the party and leading fundraisers -- worry that the vice president would be beaten by Mr. Bush. The opinion polls confirm those fears.

The beneficiary of all this is Mr. Bill Bradley, the former senator from New Jersey. Mr. Bradley overtook Mr. Gore in the New Hampshire polls and is gaining on the vice president nationally. His newfound popularity is visible where it counts: fundraising. Although Mr. Bradley has only raised about three-quarters of the money that Mr. Gore has, in the last three months, Mr. Bradley has raised more money than the vice president and he has more of it in the bank.