Vice President Al Gore is in LaCrosse, Wisconsin this morning to kick off his campaign in the midwest. He's there with his wife Tipper Gore, and Vice Presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman and his wife Hadassah (Heh DAH sa). The group will take a four-day riverboat trip down the Mississippi, finishing in Hannibal, Missouri. The Midwest states along the Mississippi are closely contested this year. John Medinger (MED in ger (g like great)) is the mayor of LaCrosse. He's out in the park where the ceremonies are scheduled to begin in just over a half hour.