Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220060
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, languishing with little support for his moderate message, suspended his Republican presidential campaign Tuesday because of a lack of funding.
``I am suspending my candidacy for the nomination because I am out of money,'' Specter said on CNN's ``Larry King Live.''
Specter stopped just short of dropping out of the race completely.
``What I'm doing tonight and for the next several days will be appealing to Republicans across the country who are looking for a message of moderation to help me finance the campaign,'' Specter told the program's guest host, former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh.
Specter, who failed to rise above 2 percent in the polls, had sought to pull his party back from what he considered a far-right tilt influenced by intolerant extremists.
Without directly confirming his decision, Specter indicated he could reopen his campaign ``if lightning were to strike'' and moderates demanded his candidacy.
``I think my centrist ideas are right for America, but so far I haven't been able to raise the money to carry them forward,'' he said.
Specter, known for his tenacity, reluctantly decided to call it quits in the face of dismal fund raising, said several campaign officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
His departure is not expected to significantly change the presidential race, where Specter always was an also-ran in polls.
Specter, 65, is the second candidate to drop out, after California Gov. Pete Wilson in September. Wilson, too, was an awkward fit with conservative GOP primary voters because of his support for abortion rights and gun control.
Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, one of the remaining GOP candidates, said that with the departures of Wilson and Specter, and Colin Powell's decision not to run, ``the clear message is that the pro-choice position on abortion is nowhere near the heart and soul of the Republican Party.''
Technically, Specter planned to put his campaign into suspended status, which allows him to collect some $1.2 million in federal matching funds in January to pay off his bills, said one official.
Running as a champion of abortion rights, Specter had hoped to attract contributions through direct mailings to Jewish and women voters. He blamed the focus on Powell's potential candidacy for drying up that potential support.
Like Specter, Powell supported abortion rights, offering moderate Republicans an alternative to anti-abortion candidates.
``Powell cost us $800,000 in matchable contributions. That is the rate at which we were raising money'' when Powell began his highly publicized book tour in September, said campaign Chairman Roger Stone. He said contributions plummeted from $8,000 a day to $1,200.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB