Back in 2000, he very nearly became the 43rd president of the United States, stopped short only by an unorthodox ruling by the United States Supreme Court, amidst strong allegations of election fraud in Florida against his rival, George W. Bush. Since then, former Vice President Al Gore has dodged the political sphere, focusing instead on becoming a champion of environmental issues and developing business and investment efforts that have given him an estimated net worth of $200 million. But he never said he was “done” in politics, and sources close to Gore say that he might be coming back into the fray in the next few weeks in a very big way.

According to multiple sources, including family and friends of the former VP, Gore has spent the past few months strongly considering another run at the White House in 2016, taking on top primary challengers like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren. He’s taken secret trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, courted potential donors, and even has a small team of what he calls “exploratory advisors” helping him make an informed decision.

And all of these sources agree that Gore is leaning quite heavily toward entering the fray; a major announcement might come from Gore about a possible 2016 run this summer, with some claiming he may even organize a rally and call up the press within “the next few weeks.”

“He made up his mind at least two weeks ago, but didn’t tell anyone until Friday,” says one close friend of Gore’s, referring to April 18th. “He had a bunch of us, his family and friends I mean, go out to his place in Nashville and stay for the weekend. He told us during dinner. I was completely shocked by that. He’s been so busy since the loss [in 2000]. I didn’t expect him to up and decide to run again.”

One member of Gore’s extended family, with whom the former Vice President is close, said they were aware as early as March. “We went fishing, and he told me he was thinking about it, and wanted to know what I thought about the whole thing. I told him I was behind him a hundred percent. That view hasn’t changed none, neither.”

Not in attendance at Gore’s Nashville gathering? The Clintons. As one attendee pointed out, “Al is worried about telling Bill and Hillary about all this. They’ve always had a really strange relationship, Al and Bill I mean. They’re friendly, but I wouldn’t call them `close’ or anything. And things only got worse after Al endorsed Obama over Hillary back in ’08.”

If Gore is running, Hillary Clinton will be his stiffest competition. Clinton is the overwhelming favorite for 2016, not just for the Democratic Party’s primary race, but for the election as a whole, trouncing most top republicans by double-digits in polling. Clinton has not yet announced her intentions regarding 2016, but most analysts agree she strongly favors a run. How Gore might fare against Clinton, though, is anyone’s guess, as Gore hasn’t been prominently featured in most political polls since 2004.