Surprise: 'Al Gore' Was Back on the Ballot This Year

Al Gore (Photo Credit: AP)

"Al Gore" is back. I know what you're thinking -- how is the former vice-president and 2000 presidential candidate on the 2012 ballot? Well, it's not what you think.

See, this "Al Gore" isn't the same smooth-talking, environmentalist who competed for the presidency against George W. Bush 12 years ago. This Gore (Albert N. Gore Jr.) is an 82-year-old Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi.

In an attempt to unseat incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker, Gore was competing this cycle in his first electoral contest. However, the retired United Methodist minister was never poised to win. Despite the odds being stacked against him, the elderly political hopeful, to no avail, held onto the notion that he could still secure a victory.

While he hasn't tried to secure elected office before, Gore did serve as the chairman of the Oktibbeha County Democratic Party for eight years. CNN has more about the fascinating candidate:

...he was a Green Beret and master parachutist in the Army with 91 jumps under his belt and the rank of colonel. He has a fondness for cigars and pipes, lit or unlit. And in 1998, he retired from a 51-year career as a Methodist minister.

Here is what Gore isn't known for: being related to Albert Arnold Gore, the recognizable former vice president and failed presidential candidate.

At an interview during the Democratic National Convention, where both Gores were delegates, the Mississippi Senate candidate said he tossed his green beret into the ring when "no one else would step up."

"I promised the party last year that if no one stepped up, I would," he said. "I'm not one to sit around and wait for someone else to do it."

See a recent speech by Gore, below:

In the end, the candidate lost, but his name -- and his fervent effort -- set him apart and make efforts to secure office worth noting.

(H/T: Daily Caller)