AMPA, Fla. - Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush yesterday entered the final week of the campaign in fiery fettle, with Gore warning Florida voters that Bush's economic plans would bankrupt the Social Security system, while Bush made a raid into the traditionally Democratic state of Minnesota to assail Gore's tax proposals.
Gore's presence in Florida came on a day that Bush expressed incredulity over a new poll that gave the Democrat an 11-point lead in a state where Jeb Bush serves as governor. ''I don't believe it,'' Bush said, calling the survey by pollster John Zogby ''totally out of kilter.''
But even as Bush addressed thousands under gray skies in Minneapolis, the eyes of his staff were turned south to Florida, a state the campaign believes it will win but now suggests it could do without and still reach the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the White House.
Gore, meanwhile, targeted Florida's massive retirement community as he campaigned for the state's 25 electoral votes with appearances in Tampa and Orlando.
With the race in Florida, where older voters constitute more than a third of the electorate, believed to be within his reach, the Democrat spent the day here attacking Bush's proposals and assuring Floridians that he would keep Social Security sound for another half-century.
Republicans in the state have accused the Democrats of employing ''scare tactics'' with the Social Security issue, but in 1996 President Clinton succeeded in winning the state by emphasizing his commitment to the f ederal retirement program.
Bush waged his campaign yesterday in Minnesota, a state that has wound up in the Democratic column in every presidential election since 1976.
Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd gathered in a decorated airplane hangar in Minneapolis, Bush assaulted Gore's character, accomplishments, campaign promises, and philosophy. On policy matters, Bush focused his sights on tax relief, anointed by Bush staff as the third ''issue of the day'' this week following ''compassionate conservatism'' and ''leadership style.''
Accusing Gore of proposing targeted tax cuts that exclude 50 million people, Bush said the IRS was already planning to hire ''2,079 bureaucrats,'' citing it as evidence that ''some in Washington are already preparing for the Gore tax plan.''
''My opponent talks about fighting for the people against the powerful,'' Bush said. ''But it works out a little differently. In his case, more audits for the people, more power for the IRS.''
''Twelve times while in Congress, Al Gore was rated a `big spender' by the National Taxpayers Union. Three of those times, he earned the worst rating of any member of Congress,'' Bush said. ''Considering the competition, that's quite an achievement.''
He continued: ''My opponent offers an old and tired approach. Just when progress on important issues seemed within reach, he's left the vital center of American politics.
''This country needs new leadership, a leader who will set clear priorities,'' Bush said.
Bush flew to Duluth, Minn., another city in a state where the Bush campaign believes it can snatch 10 electoral votes from the Democrats, then on to Des Moines last night. He plans to return to Florida over the weekend.
In a morning speech in Kissimmee, Gore accused Bush of fostering a ''social insecurity'' program.
Though Bush has talked about his own commitment to retirees, Gore said, ''Soothing words don't pay the rent, much less buy prescription medicine. And even the sharpest campaign soundbite won't bring into focus the fuzzy conclusions that flow from this fuzzy math.''
Gore said Bush was ''promising to take a trillion dollars out of Social Security, and he's promising it to younger workers for investments in private accounts, and it sounds pretty good, but the problem is: that's the same money he's promising to seniors to pay their current benefits.''
The Democratic candidate was scathing in his criticism of the Bush proposal. ''Instead of a system where everyone's in it together,'' Gore said, ''the Bush plan would turn Social Security into a grab-bag where everyone is out for himself. You might call it social insecurity.''
Gore suggested that under the GOP plan, Bush would drain funds from the Social Security trust fund, creating a situation where ''Social Security would go bankrupt fairly soon and then go into massive deficits while many of today's seniors are still counting on it.''
