"Part of our strategy will be drawing a contrast with the vice president, which we will do increasingly," said Bradley spokesman Eric Hauser.

In fact, Bradley wasted little time Sunday resuming his criticisms of Gore, which he had stepped up in the closing days of the contest in New Hampshire.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," the former New Jersey senator renewed his attack on Gore's fund-raising practices in the last campaign, criticizing the vice president's 1996 appearance at a Buddhist temple near Los Angeles.

"I think he has to explain more thoroughly what was happening at the Buddhist temple, said Bradley. "If he didn't know it was a fund-raiser then he was spectacularly naive."

He again warned that Republicans will hammer Gore with the issue in the fall.

"There is no doubt in my mind that is going to happen," Bradley said. "This is a real risk in the fall. The Democratic Party is taking a risk."

Bradley also has challenged Gore on health care and his record on abortion and says voters want a "fresh start," a thinly veiled reference to President Clinton's troubles.

"America is about competition, political campaigns are about competition," said Bradley, defending his assault. "If your positions are misrepresented, you can only take it so long. That's the way I'll continue for the next four or five weeks."

By then, the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination could well be decided, with a high-stakes showdown in California, New York and other states on March 7.

"California is the neutral ground," said Gore campaign spokesman Chris Lehane.

"I have to take off on March 7," acknowledged Bradley.

One place to begin is within his own party. Much of the Democratic establishment is behind Gore and one of Bradley's most urgent tasks is winning back key constituencies like blacks and women who surveys show overwhelmingly support the vice president.

"I think I have to communicate better with the Democratic base," said Bradley.

Looking to shore up that base, Bradley campaigned Sunday at Allen AME Church, the state's largest black church, with activist Al Sharpton, who proposed that the Democratic rivals debate in New York before a mostly black audience.

Bradley agreed, and aides said they would present the idea to Gore. Lehane said late Sunday that, "We're in discussions with the Bradley campaign about debates and I assume this (proposal) will be part of those discussions."

"I am not taking the African-American vote for granted," said Bradley. "I have a lot of friends in New Work. We are building organizations in all the March 7 states."

Aides said Bradley would spend much of his campaign week on the issue of race relations, heading to Florida to talk about affirmative action and South Carolina to wade into the fight over the flying of the Confederate battle flag.

He noted that racial harmony was the topic of the first major speech he gave as a candidate.

"It's who I am, it's what I live," said Bradley.

Both rivals took a breather over the weekend before launching an intense burst of campaigning leading up to the big round of March 7 primaries.

Bradley opened his week in New York and was heading to Florida. Gore, too, was beginning in New York, and both were setting aside ample time for California.

"I have to win California," Bradley said. "I know I have some ground to make up."

Gore also has focused heavily on California, and has the backing of key state leaders like Gov. Gray Davis and organized labor. Polls give Gore the edge there -- a Field poll in mid-January had him ahead 44 percent to 17 percent -- but they can be unreliable as voters begin to tune in to the campaign.

Countering Bradley, Gore's aides said they will continue the kind of grassroots, retail campaign that led to success in the opening contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"Al Gore is a national candidate," said Lehane, Gore's spokesman. "We'll be campaigning in virtually every state where they have a primary. There's only one candidate in this race who is undefeated and that's Al Gore."

For Bradley, the debate has been one of tactics. A core campaign theme has been his argument that he's a nontraditional candidate who operates above the charges and countercharges that have become staples of political campaigns.

But in the face of early setbacks, Bradley's approach has shifted. Backers like Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska have urged Bradley -- who picks up Secret Service protection Monday -- to be more aggressive and respond to Gore -- and that's becoming apparent.