EW YORK - Clashing bitterly over their commitment to racial justice, Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley last night traded their sharpest charges yet, portraying each other as onetime critics of some of the bedrock Democratic principles they claim to embrace.
In a debate before a predominantly black audience at the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem, Bradley cast Gore's House and Senate record as evidence that he was ''a conservative congressman'' and Gore accused Bradley of trying ''to divide us as Democrats'' with negative attacks.
The candidates, in a raucous forum that presented one of Bradley's last chances to slow Gore's gathering momentum before the decisive March 7 primaries, accused each other of turning their backs at times on affirmative action, on the effort to end racial profiling by police making arrests, and on other matters, including health care, urban schools and economic inequality, that are central to minority communities.
And they found new ways to reinforce their damaging depictions of each other's records.
In one of the testiest exchanges, Bradley thrust before Gore a list of five votes Gore cast in Congress that Bradley said served to protect the tax-exempt status of schools such as Bob Jones University in South Carolina that racially discriminate students.
''You have to face up to this if you are going to be a strong leader,'' Bradley said.
Gore, calling Bradley's charge ''phony and scurrilous,'' refused to accept the document. ''You're sounding a little desperate because you're trying to build yourself up by tearing everybody else down,'' Gore said.
The debate - their ninth - unfolded with Bradley badly needing a breakthrough as he trails Gore by double digits in all 15 states that hold primaries on March 7. The day could mark the end of Bradley's candidacy if he fails to post significant victories in at least several states.
Gore, who repeatedly accused Bradley of harming the Democratic cause by attacking his record, spared little ammunition himself in depicting Bradley as abandoning the party by choosing not to seek reelection to the Senate in 1996 and forsaking his black constituents by failing to fight racial profiling in New Jersey.
After Bradley repeated his oft-stated point that Gore should walk down the hall of the White House and urge President Clinton to sign an executive order to eliminate racial profiling, Gore shot back that ''racial profiling practically began in New Jersey.'' He later clarified that he first became aware of the racial profiling problem after reports of police practices in Bradley's home state.
Gore then ripped Bradley for a 1985 vote he cast as a member of the Senate Finance Committee for a provision that would have ended a tax break aimed at encouraging sales of radio and cable television companies to minority-owned businesses. ''I think this country is better off having'' black radio, Gore said.
Bradley worked hard to undercut Gore's record. Criticizing Gore's congressional votes on gun control, abortion rights, and tobacco, Bradley said: ''He was a conservative Democrat before he was Bill Clinton's vice president.''
Amid cheers and jeers, hoots and hollers, Bradley charged Gore with trying to run away from his past. ''What you see is what I call `Gore-dance,''' Bradley said. ''It's a dance to avoid facing up to your conservative record.''
Gore replied: ''The problem is, these attacks don't solve any problems. They divide us as Democrats. They distract us from the real enemy, the right-wing extremists.''
Later, he added in a sardonic tone: ''By all means, Bill, get the negativity off your chest.''
Gore also cited his endorsement from abortion rights groups, labor unions, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy. ''Do you think they have poor judgment, Senator Bradley?'' he said.
Angry that Bradley had called the day before for an independent counsel to investigate Gore's role in the 1996 campaign fund-raising scandal, Gore said: ''You must be the only Democrat in America who misses Ken Starr.''
Bradley said Gore must give a full accounting of his role in the scandal, and made clear his belief that he is better equipped to serve as president. But Bradley also said he would support Gore if he wins the nomination.
Nowhere were the stakes higher for Bradley than in New York, which Bradley has long considered home turf because of his 10-year career with the New York Knicks. Bradley, who has made racial unity a centerpiece of his platform, also badly needed to break Gore's strong bond with black voters, one of New York's most powerful constituencies.
It was the most contentious debate between the candidates.
They stood about 4 feet apart on the red-carpeted stage of the Apollo, answering questions from the audience, viewers, and a panel of three journalists from CNN and Time magazine. The forum was sponsored by the United Missionary Baptist Association and an array of community groups and individuals in Harlem.
The debate was conceived two weeks ago when Bradley attended services at the Allen AME Church in Queens. The pastor, the Rev. Floyd Flake, a former congressman, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was also there, jointly proposed a debate in the black community, to which Bradley readily agreed and Gore later signed on to.
Gore, who has seen a steady rise in his poll numbers as coverage of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has taken attention away from his Democratic challenger, was not eager to give Bradley any free publicity, let alone a platform to peel off black Democratic primary voters.
Polls say the vice president holds a 2-to-1 advantage over the former New Jersey senator among black voters in New York. Those voters constitute nearly a quarter of registered Democratic voters statewide, and almost half of the party's vote in New York City.
At the Apollo, both candidates tapped allies from the realms of politics, sports, and entertainment to showcase the depth of their black support. Bradley brought along Harvard University professor Cornel West, film director Spike Lee, and former New York Knicks star Willis Reed.
Gore brought along some of New York City's black political elite, including Representative Charles B. Rangel of Harlem, former New York Mayor David Dinkins, New York Comptroller H. Carl McCall, and entertainer Whoopi Goldberg.
The Apollo is famous for, among other things, its amateur night called Showtime at the Apollo. Some of world's greatest performers have passed through its doors, and over the years many singers, musicians, and comedians have walked on its stage, rubbed their hands against the carved tree bark for good luck, and watched their fortunes rise or fall with the applause of the audience.
The Apollo debate was the second that turned the focus of the Democratic contest to minority issues. As they did several times last night, Gore and Bradley all but tripped over each other last month in a forum in Iowa to demonstrate their concern for race relations and civil rights.
The candidates have been squabbling for weeks over expanding their debate schedule before March 7. Bradley had agreed to four more debates, but Gore has said he would agree to additional forums only if Bradley would join him in shutting down their television advertising campaigns, a condition Bradley has rejected.
As a result, the only remaining debate before the March 7 primaries is scheduled on March 1 in Los Angeles.
