ATLANTA, Nov. 1 -- Former President Jimmy Carter, a longtime supporter of Al Gore, endorsed the vice president for president Wednesday, calling him a man of character.
Carter, who distanced himself from the Clinton White House by skipping the Democratic Party's 1996 convention, called Gore "a man of courage and character, proven by his remarkable record of accomplishment."
"If character is the measure, Al Gore deserves your vote for President of the United States," Carter said in a statement issued by the Carter Center.
Carter said a candidate's character "is the sum of a lifetime of work, a record of accomplishment, and a set course for the future." He said Gore "is a man of strong convictions, and a strong sense of right and wrong."
"In the Congress, he took on the polluters on behalf of our environment, and the tobacco companies on behalf of our children," Carter said.
"I am firmly convinced that those who care deeply about our environment, the less fortunate and women's rights would make a series and far-reaching mistake by turning away from Al Gore," Carter said.
Carter was invited by Gore to attend this year's Democratic Party convention, where he was the subject of a five-minute filmed tribute.