Associated Press WriterNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Congressman Bob Clement said Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination to succeed U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, one day after Tipper Gore decided she would not run for her husband's old seat.

Clement's announcement ends more than a week of jockeying among prominent Democrats since Thompson's announced his retirement on March 8. The surprise decision turned what had been considered a safe Republican seat into one expected to be among the most highly contested this fall.

All other major potential Democratic candidates, including Gore, have announced they will not seek the nomination, leaving Clement as the party's choice.

"This is an opportunity to continue to serve the state I love," Clement said during a news conference at the Union Station Hotel in Nashville. "That's why, as of this moment, I am a candidate for the United States Senate."

Clement was joined at the ceremony by fellow congressman Bart Gordon, who considered running for the seat, as well as by Gore, wife of former vice president Al Gore, who withdrew her name from consideration on Sunday.

Clement, a seven-term congressman from Nashville, has flirted with running for governor or senate in the past decade but never made the leap until now.

Memphis Congressman Harold Ford Jr., who said he would not run if Clement did, did not attend Clement's announcement, but issued a statement endorsing his colleague.

"He is the choice of the Tennessee Democratic Party and the congressional delegation," Ford said. "I look forward to campaigning with him."

Former Gov. Lamar Alexander and Congressman Ed Bryant of Henderson will oppose each other in the Republican primary.

The filing deadline for the Senate race is April 4. The primary is August 1, with the general election on Nov. 5.

Al Gore held the senate seat from 1985 to 1993. When he was elected vice president in 1992, Democrat Harlan Mathews was appointed temporarily to replace him. In 1994, Thompson defeated Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper to replace Mathews.

Clement, 58, was the youngest person ever elected to statewide office in Tennessee when, at 29, he won a seat on the state Public Service Commission. He later served two years as a director of the Tennessee Valley Authority and was president of Cumberland University in Lebanon for four years before being elected to the House in 1988.

His father, the late Frank G. Clement, served three terms as governor but lost in a bid for the Senate.

Clement described himself as "a Tennessean through and through. I have lived and worked in all three grand divisions -- West, Middle, and East Tennessee."

He said he is determined "not to lose sight of my roots, or ever forget where I came from and who put me where I am today. I understand what Tennesseans are concerned about. Better schools, good jobs, affordable health care, a Social Security system that is sound and reliable, and a clean environment."

Clement graduated from Hillsboro High School in Nashville, earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Tennessee and a master's degree at what was is now known as the University of Memphis.

He served in the Army and the Tennessee Army National Guard, where he holds the rank of colonel.

Since Sept. 11, he said, "I don't know the difference between a Democrat and a Republican ... between a conservative, a moderate or liberal. We are all on the same page when it comes to fighting terrorism and bolstering homeland security."

"I want to help keep us working together for Tennessee and all of America ... I want to make a difference -- not just for today's Tennesseans but for generations to come."