Harkin to Quit Presidential Campaign

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin will officially announce that he is dropping out of the presidential race this morning, according to a Iowa Democratic party official.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Harkin campaign informed the party headquarters of its decision yesterday.

"He's going to get out of it--officially," the official told the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the other presidential candidates from both parties spent the weekend engaged in their most intense campaigning yet, in preparation for tomorrow's Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses in 11 states, including Massachusetts.

Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and President George Bush barely have enough time to enjoy their recent victories in South Carolina. Clinton also won in the Wyoming and Arizona caucuses this weekend.

The Harkin departure, spurred by a string of poor primary showings, will be announced at news conferences in Washington this morning and in Des Monies this afternoon.

A source who spoke with Harkin yesterday, who did not want to be identified, said Harkin planned to praise the Democratic rivals he has been bashing the past few months, and to sharply criticize Bush. He will not endorse another candidate, the source said.

Two candidates, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas and former California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr., praised Harkin for his contributions to the race and said they would actively seek the labor forces that have supported his campaign.

"Harkin gave voice to the aspirations of the working men and women of this country and he deserves our gratitude," Brown said.

Tsongas said he had spoken with Harkin by phone, and joked, "I asked him to help me with my speaking style."

It is unclear to whom Harkin's support will fall.

Harkin had called himself the "only realDemocrat in the race" and had promised deepdefense cuts and massive increases in socialspending to create jobs and revitalize America'sdomestic infrastructure.

In other campaign news yesterday, voters inMassachusetts, who have been largely ignored thisyear due to former Sen. Paul E. Tsongas' nativeson status here, supported Tsongas by a giganticmargin in a poll published in The Boston Globeyesterday.

Tsongas received 64 percent of the Democraticvote in the poll, while Clinton finished secondwith eight percent. Brown garnered six percent andHarkin won three percent of Democratic support.Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who officially droppedout of the race during the second of two pollingdays, received four percent.

Bush garnered 69 percent of the Republican votein the poll, leaving conservative columnistPatrick J. Buchanan with 17 percent and former KuKlux Klan leader David Duke with one percent.

None of the major candidates had spent anysignificant time in the Bay State, where thethird-largest number of delegates will be awardedtomorrow, before this weekend.

Nearby Rhode Island and Delaware have beensimilarly ignored, since both Super Tuesday statesare expected to lean toward Tsongas.

Some candidates have made last minute plans,however. Brown scheduled a rally for downtownBoston Monday night, and Tsongas decided to returnhome during part of election day.

On the Republican side, Buchanan campaignedyesterday throughout the state. He stopped for aquick beer at a bar in Quincy with cheeringcustomers yelling "drink, drink, drink" and "Godbless America, God bless Pat."

Buchanan supporters also were involved in ashort scuffle at a rally in Warwick, R.I., wheremembers of the Coalition for Jewish Concernsstood for 10 minutes during Buchanan's speech toprotest what they said was his anti-Semitism.

Duke also campaigned in Massachusetts over theweekend, speaking to about 50 people in PlymouthSaturday night.

Saturday's South Carolina primaries set thestage for what could be an oft-repeated scenariotomorrow. Clinton dominated, as expected, winning64 percent of the vote. Tsongas followed with 18percent, and former Brown and Harkin each won sixpercent. Bush received 67 percent of theRepublican vote, while Buchanan won 26 percent andDuke won seven percent.

In Wyoming's Democratic caucuses, Clinton won28 percent of the delegates, with Brown at 24percent, Harkin at 14 percent and Tsongas at 11percent.

Clinton is expected to post similar results inmost of tomorrow's elections, which will takeplace in Southern states. But certainstates--especially lucrative Florida, whereTsongas spent most of Saturday--are still up forgrabs.

Much of yesterday's campaigning took place overthe airwaves. Several candidates liked theirSaturday wounds on the Sunday morning newsprograms, and Clinton took the brunt of theirattacks.

Clinton is "the candidate of the hacks, theinsiders, and the politicians that have gottenthis country into the mess that it's in," saidBrown on NBC's "Meet the Press."

And Tsongas, speaking on ABC, said he did notthink Clinton was electable.

Bush supporters, including Republican PartyChair Richard Bond, tried to rationalize thepopularity of insurgent candidate Buchanan.

Bond said the conservative columnist'scandidacy is "a good vehicle for people to getthis out of their system now, register theirmessage with the president, and come home to himin the fall."

Still, Buchanan vowed to stay in the race toAugust's GOP convention in Houston. On "Face theNation," he said his campaign "is about more thanpiling up delegates."

Yesterday, Clinton criss-crossed Texas, thebiggest Super Tuesday trophy of them all. Invisits to Black congregations in Houston andAustin, the candidate spoke of racial unity.

At a campaign stop in Austin, Clinton vowed,"If George Bush tries to play the race card, Iwill stick it to him."

Tsongas, too, addressed Black voters, visitinga church in Nashville and linking his survival ofcancer with a call for spirituality in politics.

After four days of campaigning in the South,Bush spent the day at Camp David, while Buchananstumped in Louisiana.

Written with dispatches from The AssociatedPress.

Harkin had called himself the "only realDemocrat in the race" and had promised deepdefense cuts and massive increases in socialspending to create jobs and revitalize America'sdomestic infrastructure.

In other campaign news yesterday, voters inMassachusetts, who have been largely ignored thisyear due to former Sen. Paul E. Tsongas' nativeson status here, supported Tsongas by a giganticmargin in a poll published in The Boston Globeyesterday.

Tsongas received 64 percent of the Democraticvote in the poll, while Clinton finished secondwith eight percent. Brown garnered six percent andHarkin won three percent of Democratic support.Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey, who officially droppedout of the race during the second of two pollingdays, received four percent.

Bush garnered 69 percent of the Republican votein the poll, leaving conservative columnistPatrick J. Buchanan with 17 percent and former KuKlux Klan leader David Duke with one percent.

None of the major candidates had spent anysignificant time in the Bay State, where thethird-largest number of delegates will be awardedtomorrow, before this weekend.

Nearby Rhode Island and Delaware have beensimilarly ignored, since both Super Tuesday statesare expected to lean toward Tsongas.

Some candidates have made last minute plans,however. Brown scheduled a rally for downtownBoston Monday night, and Tsongas decided to returnhome during part of election day.

On the Republican side, Buchanan campaignedyesterday throughout the state. He stopped for aquick beer at a bar in Quincy with cheeringcustomers yelling "drink, drink, drink" and "Godbless America, God bless Pat."

Buchanan supporters also were involved in ashort scuffle at a rally in Warwick, R.I., wheremembers of the Coalition for Jewish Concernsstood for 10 minutes during Buchanan's speech toprotest what they said was his anti-Semitism.

Duke also campaigned in Massachusetts over theweekend, speaking to about 50 people in PlymouthSaturday night.

Saturday's South Carolina primaries set thestage for what could be an oft-repeated scenariotomorrow. Clinton dominated, as expected, winning64 percent of the vote. Tsongas followed with 18percent, and former Brown and Harkin each won sixpercent. Bush received 67 percent of theRepublican vote, while Buchanan won 26 percent andDuke won seven percent.

In Wyoming's Democratic caucuses, Clinton won28 percent of the delegates, with Brown at 24percent, Harkin at 14 percent and Tsongas at 11percent.

Clinton is expected to post similar results inmost of tomorrow's elections, which will takeplace in Southern states. But certainstates--especially lucrative Florida, whereTsongas spent most of Saturday--are still up forgrabs.

Much of yesterday's campaigning took place overthe airwaves. Several candidates liked theirSaturday wounds on the Sunday morning newsprograms, and Clinton took the brunt of theirattacks.

Clinton is "the candidate of the hacks, theinsiders, and the politicians that have gottenthis country into the mess that it's in," saidBrown on NBC's "Meet the Press."

And Tsongas, speaking on ABC, said he did notthink Clinton was electable.

Bush supporters, including Republican PartyChair Richard Bond, tried to rationalize thepopularity of insurgent candidate Buchanan.

Bond said the conservative columnist'scandidacy is "a good vehicle for people to getthis out of their system now, register theirmessage with the president, and come home to himin the fall."

Still, Buchanan vowed to stay in the race toAugust's GOP convention in Houston. On "Face theNation," he said his campaign "is about more thanpiling up delegates."

Yesterday, Clinton criss-crossed Texas, thebiggest Super Tuesday trophy of them all. Invisits to Black congregations in Houston andAustin, the candidate spoke of racial unity.

At a campaign stop in Austin, Clinton vowed,"If George Bush tries to play the race card, Iwill stick it to him."

Tsongas, too, addressed Black voters, visitinga church in Nashville and linking his survival ofcancer with a call for spirituality in politics.

After four days of campaigning in the South,Bush spent the day at Camp David, while Buchananstumped in Louisiana.

Written with dispatches from The AssociatedPress.