When Vern Thompson met with Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., late last winter, Lieberman apologized for the Gore-Lieberman campaign's neglect of North Dakota during the last presidential campaign.

Lieberman probably didn't know how deep that wound was.

Thompson chastised Lieberman, saying his own statewide campaign was affected by the Gore-Lieberman indifference toward North Dakota. Thompson, now the director of the state Democratic party, ran for the Public Service Commission, and lost by about 1,000 votes. Thompson said he believes that if Gore-Lieberman had a presence in North Dakota during the campaign, the outcomes of many races would have been different.

But this time around, Thompson expects to be overwhelmed with Democratic presidential contenders as North Dakota will hold a presidential caucus Feb. 3. Lawmakers approved the caucuses in the hope that they would help the state generate more interest from presidential candidates.

On Monday, Secretary of State Al Jaeger announced his intention to set the date for the caucuses on Feb. 3. Two days later, Thompson was on the phone with six of the nine Democrats running for president.

"All of them indicated a real interest in coming to North Dakota," he said. "I think we've got some pretty exciting days ahead of us well before the November election."

North Dakota will join six other states that are holding presidential primaries or caucuses. Oklahoma also is holding caucuses Feb. 3, and Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., has already visited the state four times, Thompson said.

"It's such an open field that every state, big or small, is valuable in the process," he said.

At the caucuses, party activists meet and endorse their preferred candidates, although the results are not binding on the delegates to the national convention. Caucuses are cheaper than holding a statewide presidential primary election.

Jason Stverak, director of the state Republican party, said that with the possibility of four more caucuses or primaries before Feb. 3, he doubts the Democratic candidates would do much more than make airport stops in North Dakota. And, he noted, President Bush made a campaign stop in North Dakota during the 2000 campaign.

But he said he welcomes the Democrats.

"I invite them to come to North Dakota because I would like to have them come to the state and explain why they're in favor of increased taxes, increased government spending and socialized universal health care," Stverak said. "Programs that the people of North Dakota have voted against over and over and over."

As for Lieberman, Thompson doesn't expect a repeat performance of the 2000 campaign.

"He promised that if he was in the running that he would come to North Dakota," he said.

(Reach Deena Winter at 250-8251 or deena.winter@bismarcktribune.com.)