As expected, outgoing House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO) will file papers to form a presidential exploratory committee as early as this weekend.

Congressman Gephardt is the second Democrat this week to announce his intention to form such a committee. Yesterday, Senator John Edwards made his entry into the race, following former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts who both formed committees last month.

This is the congressman's second run for the presidency. Gephardt is expected to do well in Iowa, which he won in 1988. His base consists of blue-collar, union Democrats who will be invaluable in Iowa and in the first primary state of New Hampshire.

Gephardt stepped down as the Democratic leader in November, as he failed to lead the Democrats back into the majority in the House for the fourth time.