Cuomo Expected to Form Election Panel : Study of Presidential Bid to Signal That N.Y. Governor Is Serious

Gov. Mario M. Cuomo is expected to announce soon that he has authorized a committee of close confidants to explore sentiment across the nation concerning his possible bid for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.

The selection of the committee is designed to signal Cuomo’s seriousness and to give a contact point for those questioning the New York governor’s presidential plans. It will allow Cuomo to begin early organizing in key primary states in an informal way, and to start to set up the structural skeleton of a national campaign.

Important Adviser

Unless plans change unexpectedly, a key figure in the exploratory group will be Michael J. Del Giudice, the governor’s former chief of staff. Del Giudice resigned in 1985 to join Lazard Freres & Co., the New York investment bankers, but he has remained an important adviser to the governor and has undertaken politically sensitive missions outside of government at his behest.

In Albany, where he held the official title of secretary, Del Giudice was second only to the governor in power and importance.

Current plans call for the committee to report back to Cuomo at about the beginning of April, when New York state’s budgetary process is customarily completed. Thus, for almost three months, advisers believe, the governor will be able to publicly postpone a formal decision on whether to seek the presidency while at the same time acknowledging his interest.

Cuomo recently announced plans for five out-of-state trips between February and May, including stops in such key primary states as Iowa, Florida and California. At the same time, the governor said he had no present plans to run, but would decide what to do next by the end of this month.

The decision to authorize formation of a committee represents an acceleration of Cuomo’s political timetable. Previously, some advisers thought it would be sufficient for the governor to maintain informal contact with party operatives and strategists while publicly focusing on state business.

Pressures Increased

But in recent weeks, pressures on Cuomo to signal his intentions more publicly have increased. Of some concern to Cuomo’s strategists is the increasing national interest in Gov. Michael S. Dukakis of Massachusetts, who, as a Northeastern liberal, could be in competition with Cuomo for some of the same areas of support within the Democratic Party.

Some advisers also feared that Cuomo was losing momentum because some political professionals were taking his denials too seriously.

The exploratory committee will be a signal to political operatives with expertise in primary states, who are being courted by other candidates, to wait before making commitments.