Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 4, 1992                   TAG: 9203040208
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BUSH, CLINTON WIN IN GA./ TSONGAS SAVORS MD. WIN; BUCHANAN TO STAY IN RACE

President Bush swept three Republican primaries, but Patrick Buchanan vowed to press his conservative challenge.

Colorado's Democratic race was excruciatingly tight, with Clinton just ahead of Jerry Brown and Tsongas not far behind. Tsongas led in Utah's small Democratic primary.

There were no surprises on the GOP side, and Bush said his victories in Georgia, Maryland and Colorado put him "well on our way to the nomination." He added he was "committed to regaining" the support of Republican voters who deserted him for Buchanan.

There were self-serving primary post-mortems all around from the politicians, but the exit polls showed a different story - a decidedly dissatisfied electorate.

Forty percent of Democratic voters said they wished there were additional candidates to choose from. Eight out of 10 Buchanan voters in Maryland said they would defect to the Democrats this fall rather than support the president.

Bush was gaining more than 60 percent of the vote in Georgia, Maryland and Colorado - and the overwhelming majority of the national convention delegates at stake. Buchanan's best performance was 36 percent in Georgia, and he said it was more than enough to propel him to next week's Super Tuesday primaries.

The night's results pointed to a continuing, contentious string of primaries for Democrats, who once hoped to settle early on a nominee to challenge a president weakened by recession.

"This is going to be a long haul," said Tsongas, as he and Clinton turned to their next round of primaries, clustered next week in New England and the South.

Tsongas dubbed himself the "breakthrough kid" for his Maryland triumph, the first for any Democrat outside his home region. "They said that I was a regional candidate. They're right: North, South, East and West."

The Democratic also-rans, Sen. Bob Kerrey and Sen. Tom Harkin, spoke bravely of staying alive in the race, despite poor showings. "This is still a completely wide open race," Kerrey said, and Harkin said the campaign " is really just starting."

The Democratic contests included caucuses in Minnesota, Washington, Idaho and American Samoa. Harkin was faring best of any candidate in Minnesota according to a sample of caucus ballots, but was in a virtual dead heat with uncommitted.

Bush reached out to Buchanan's supporters, saying, "To those who have been with me in the past but did not vote for me today, I hear your concerns and understand your frustration with Washington."

But the White House was trying to nudge the conservative commentator from the race. Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater expressed concern that a continued challenge would damage Bush's re-election hopes.

Buchanan said in advance Georgia would be a key test of his ability to go on, and he evidently liked what he saw.

Keywords:
POLITICS