Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Former Vice President Al Gore says he may consider a second bid for the White House in 2008. Gore told the Australian press over the weekend that a presidential candidacy is unlikely but that he hasn't ruled it out completely. He narrowly lost to President Bush in 2000 and abortion played a role in the defeat.

Speculation that Gore may run again has been fueled by his tour accompanying the pro-environment film he made though he has said before he isn't interested.

"I haven't completely ruled out running for president again in the future but I don't expect to," Gore said, according to an AP report.

"I offer the explanation not as an effort to be coy or clever. It's just the internal shifting of gears after being in politics almost 30 years. I hate to grind the gears," he added.

Gore compiled a strong pro-abortion record while in the Clinton administration and before that when he was a Tennessee senator. He had a pro-life voting record at one point but shifted his voting to favor abortion as his national ambitions became clearer.

That pro-abortion position may very well have cost him the 2000 elections.

A study published by the Gallup Poll Special Report entitled "Public Opinion About Abortion -- An In-Depth Review" said "the abortion issue has been an advantage for Republican candidates" for all six presidential elections from 1984 to 2000 because of the nominee's pro-life position.

In the 2000 presidential election, Gallup polls showed that 14 percent of voters (the highest percentage ever) said abortion was one of the most important issues on which they based their vote for president.

Of those voters, 58 percent supported Bush while only 41% supported pro-abortion candidate Al Gore.

The net result was a 2.4 percent gain for Bush on the issue of abortion. Had Bush not taken a pro-life view, he would have lost the popular vote by a larger margin, and perhaps the electoral vote as well.

"Among the minority of Americans who are highly motivated on the abortion issue, the pro-life side has the edge, as those opposed to abortion tend to feel more strongly about their position and are more likely to base their vote choices on it than are those in favor of abortion rights," Gallup noted in its report.