With issues of the upcoming presidential campaign centering around finance and healthcare, Democratic candidate Bill Bradley has emerged as the prime competition Al Gore will likely face in the upcoming primaries.

"He's something of a reformer," said John Roos, professor of government and Bradley campaign volunteer. "He brings a different approach to problems."

Bradley, an opponent of unregulated contributions, intends to attack campaign finance. He believes Americans should be able to trust government, instead of finding themselves embarrassed by it.

He is also a strong supporter of social and ethnic equality, and supports healthcare for all Americans. He believes Americans who earn less than they need to provide adequately for themselves and their families should be given a grant to buy private or governmental medical insurance plan.

Bradley has done well with liberals and young voters, including many college students looking for reform. He has also received much support among male voters.

Bradley was unable to win the majority in Iowa, but was endorsed by the Des Moines Register and two newspapers in New Hampshire.

"Bradley is not simply polls," said Roos, "The most important question is leadership."

If Bradley is to win the Democratic nomination, "[He] will run much better than Gore against Bush," said Roos. Although Bradley is a Democratic candidate, he works as an independent thinker, Roos said.

Bradley originally planned to run in the 1992 campaign, but dropped out because he said he felt his timing wasn't quite right.

"It's got to be the right person at the right time," said Roos, and for Bradley, the right time is now.

Bradley, who turned down a Duke University basketball scholarship in favor of academia, is a graduate of Princeton University. After graduation, though recruited by the NBA, Bradley opted to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. After two years, he returned to the States, and in 1967 was drafted by the New York Knicks, where he spent 10 years as a starting forward.

In 1978, Bradley was elected Senator of New Jersey and served three terms. In 1996, he made the decision to teach, and has since taught at the University of Maryland, Stanford and Notre Dame.

• Challenger aims to reform