Mrs. Gore is known for her interest in mental health issues. She said she became interested partly because her mother used to suffer from severe depression. And she said she herself was treated for clinical depression after her son, Albert III, then 6, was hit by a car in 1989 and nearly died.
One of Mrs. Gore's first forays into public life was in the 1980s when she persuaded the recording industry to label songs with explicit lyrics. She was accused of censorship. The late rock musician Frank Zappa called her a "cultural terrorist."
Emotions have since simmered to the point where the music business seems to have given her a break — something that could be important should she run for office in Tennessee, given that state's own music scene.
Bill Farmer, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, said he had not heard that Mrs. Gore was considering running for Senate but said she would be a good candidate.
"Mrs. Gore has always been an outstanding campaigner and would be an asset to any office she might seek," Farmer said. "She's friendly and people like her, and she has a broad knowledge of the issues that face our state and our nation."
Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander (news - web sites), a Republican, said he would seek the Senate seat. He has high name recognition in the state, and Farmer said Democrats would be helped by having a candidate who also is well known.
Republican Rep. Ed Bryant (news) also is running for Thompson's seat.
On the Democratic side, Reps. Harold Ford Jr. and Bob Clement are considering running.
The Gores married in 1970 and have four children.
Associated Press writers Ron Fournier, Sandra Sobieraj and Will Lester contributed to this report.