Gephardt, the Quiet Candidate for No. 2

Those advocates have not been shy about prodding Kerry. When Kerry campaigned at the Teamsters convention in Las Vegas in May, Teamsters President James P. Hoffa made a strong case for his longtime friend Gephardt, telling reporters that he had repeatedly urged Kerry to pick Gephardt. "He needs somebody that's high profile, somebody that can go out and carry a state, somebody that has a constituency, somebody that can deliver," Hoffa was quoted as saying that day.

Leo Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers of America, said he has made similar pitches to Kerry and James Johnson, who heads Kerry's search process. Gerard said he had spoken to both men on the phone within the past month and had several other occasions to deliver the message to the candidate. "I was very comfortable in letting him know I thought Dick Gephardt would be a tremendous contribution to the ticket," Gerard said in a telephone interview. "At a time when integrity and stability are important, John Kerry brings that and Dick Gephardt brings that."

Asked whether Gephardt had asked him to help, Gerard said no. "I think he'd just be uncomfortable asking us to do anything like that," he said.

Gephardt's support among service employee unions is less solid, however. During the primaries, the Service Employees International Union endorsed Dean. When the SEIU held its convention in California last month, Andrew Stern, the union's president, took a vice presidential straw vote among his executive board members. The winner by a wide margin was Edwards. Stern has not publicly expressed a preference.

Edwards also has some support in the House. Rep. Robert Menendez (N.J.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus, said that Gephardt and Edwards could count on strong support -- "Dick because of his long relationship, and Edwards as well because I think he brings excitement to the ticket."

Gephardt loyalists have been quick to counter suggestions that Edwards is a more popular choice among rank-and-file Democrats. When the Associated Press reported this week that eight of 11 Missouri county chairmen, selected at random, backed Edwards over Gephardt, the former House leader's supporters noted that most were not from the St. Louis area, which is where Gephardt's congressional district is located. They said the key to winning Missouri is carrying the St. Louis media market, not the outlying counties.

With Kerry believed to be close to a decision about his running mate, Gephardt and some of those around him have become even more press shy. Gephardt declined to be interviewed for this report.

Tom O'Donnell, a Democratic strategist and former Gephardt chief of staff, was similarly skittish when asked to describe how his former boss has approached the search process. "I usually have a fair amount to say, but on this, the best is to keep quiet," he said.