Al Gore won't be attending DNC

Al Gore will not be attending this week’s Democratic National Committee Convention in Philadelphia despite being a Tennessee superdelegate, a spokeswoman for the former vice president said Sunday.

Gore is one of eight Tennessee superdelegates this year, but he’s the only one who is not committed to a candidate. POLITICO has previously reported that Gore plans to wait until Democrats officially nominate a presidential candidate before he endorses someone.

Betsy McManus, director of communications for Gore, in an email said Gore is unable to attend the convention this week due to “obligations in Tennessee.” She did not specify what they are.

Gore, who has become less active on the national political scene as he’s turned his attention to environmental causes, did not attend the 2012 DNC convention either after speaking at both the 2008 and 2004 conventions in which Barack Obama and John Kerry were nominated as Democratic candidates for president, respectively.

Gore, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee and native of Carthage, Tenn., maintains a home and office in Nashville.

Joey Garrison writes for The Tennessean. Follow him on Twitter: @joeygarrison