The focus at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night is on nominee Barack Obama’s historic acceptance speech, but a man who takes the stage earlier in the evening was in Obama’s place eight years ago and remains one of the party’s most popular members.

Former Vice President Al Gore at age 60 is also one of the Democrats’ most polarizing figures for people outside the party.

After his heartbreakingly-close loss in the 2000 presidential election, the one-time Tennessee senator has reinvented himself as the most ardent foe of global warming, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, an Emmy and an Academy Award for his efforts.

Earlier this week Rasmussen Reports ask voters their views about the best-known Democrats. Over half (52%) of all voters had at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Gore, including 28% who view him Very Favorably. But 45% have at least a somewhat unfavorable view of Gore, including 32% who rate their opinion of him as Very Unfavorable.

Ask Democrats, though, and 80% hold at least a somewhat favorable view of Gore, including 50% whose view is Very Favorable. Just six percent (6%) of Democrats characterize their opinion of Gore as Very Unfavorable. Ex-President Jimmy Carter is the only one who bests Gore, and other prominent Democrats, including John Kerry, the party’s presidential nominee in 2004, aren’t even close.

For comparison sake, drawing on other recent surveys, 84% of Democrats have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Bill Clinton, including 46% Very Favorable. Obama gets at least somewhat favorable ratings from 83% of Democrats, including 65% Very Favorable.

As for global warming, a Rasmussen Reports survey in April found that 47% considered it as a Very Serious problem and 31% considered Gore an expert on the subject. As usual, however, Republicans are far more skeptical of Mr. Gore and his science than Democrats.

In a speech in mid-July, Gore called for switching all of the nation's electricity production to wind, solar and other carbon-free sources within 10 years.

But in a survey at the time only 33% of U.S. voters believed Gore’s plan was realistic. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans -- and over half (52%) of unaffiliated voters -- believed Gore’s approach would drive the energy costs even higher. Even 26% of Democrats felt that way.

Still, 53% of Americans had a favorable opinion of Gore at the time and 41% agreed with his views on the environment and energy.