Role of Watergate in Urban Elections Called Negligible by Political Analysts

Three Harvard political analysts said yesterday that the issue of Watergate had neglible effects on last Tuesday's election results.

James Q. Wilson and H. Douglas Price, professors of Government, and Gary Orren, assistant professor of Government, said they believe the mayorality races in Minneapolis, Detroit and New York all revolved around local issues.

Wilson said the elections were "expressive of what is happening in the cities, not in the country." He cited the changing racial compositions in major cities as the reason for the election of a liberal candidate, Al Hofsted, in Minneapolis, and Coleman A. Young, a black, in Detroit.

Wilson also attributed Abraham Beame's victory in New York to a rejection of what he called "Lindsayism."

Price and Orren agreed that the low voter turnout in the cities indicated a lack of confidence in government among the people. Both said they saw no indications of backlash against the Republican Party in these local elections.

Orren said he felt the voters had acted reasonably in the local races, and that he believed Watergate had little if any effect on their decisions. "The voters were concerned with local issues in this election," Orren said. "People are still confused about Watergate. They know they will have a chance to vote on Watergate in the future."

Orren hypothesized that a trend to vote out incumbents may develop in next year's congressional races. He cited recent opinion polls which indicated that voters are interested in placing new faces in government.