Democrat Cuomo to Forgo 1988 Race for White House

Gov. Mario M. Cuomo announced Thursday night that he will not be a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988.

“In my opinion, the Democratic Party offers a number of presidential candidates who can prove themselves capable of leading the nation toward a more sane and progressive and more humane future,” he told a statewide radio audience in New York. “I will not add my name to that number. I will not be a candidate.”

Cuomo said he was making his statement now “so no one will be disadvantaged by the false expectation of a candidacy on my part. There were people who were developing expectations. I don’t want them to be damaged as a result so I chose this moment to make my position clear. I will not be a candidate.”

Cuomo’s decision strengthened other candidates and shocked many Democratic Party strategists--including New York Mayor Edward I. Koch and others who had predicted that a series of appearances the governor had scheduled for key primary and caucus states would serve as a prelude to a bid for the White House.

But only last week, on a flight to California, Cuomo told The Times in an interview that he lacked the basic motivation for seeking higher office.

When a reporter showed him a list of primary states where he might be expected to show strength, the 54-year-old governor glanced at it unenthusiastically, and said he was not convinced he would be a better President than any of his potential Democratic opponents. He added that, unlike 1982, when he ran for governor and upset Koch in the primaries, he was unsure of the field and did not fully know their strengths and weaknesses.

Cuomo said candidly that there was very little difference between his positions and those of former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart, the Democratic Party’s front-runner, who already has launched an aggressive campaign of caucus organizing in Iowa and who is expected to formally announce his candidacy in Denver on April 13.

After the conversation on the plane, other Cuomo aides also cautioned that the governor might not be a candidate after all and could cut all exploration short rather quickly.

Cuomo’s decision not to run clearly removes a major potential player from the race and strengthens Hart’s position as a front-runner. But it affects the other potential contenders as well.

May Help Biden

In the view of Democratic Party pros, it gives a healthy boost to the anticipated candidacy of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, who, as a fellow Roman Catholic and a fellow Northeasterner is expected now to be able to draw on sources of support that otherwise would have gone to Cuomo.

It also breathes fresh life into the potential candidacy of Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, who would have had to compete with Cuomo for the votes of liberal Democrats, especially in the first primary in New Hampshire.

And it appears to have improved the prospects of two little known Democratic dark horses--Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, who will formally announce his candidacy on Monday, and former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt, who is expected to declare himself March 11.

For all the candidates, it removes a formidable fund-raiser from the field. While Hart is still seeking to repay his 1984 primary campaign debts, Cuomo had banked a $4-million surplus from his recent successful gubernatorial campaign--money that could have been funneled to a presidential race.

Some of Hart’s supporters announced that they were pleased with the news. “It seems to me that Hart will have an easier time, now,” said Richard Murphy, assistant campaign manager for Hart, who noted that Cuomo was the only one of the 1988 Democratic prospects who came close to matching Hart in name recognition and in fund-raising potential.

Hart in Spotlight

But as other Democrats saw it, Cuomo’s action was likely to make things tougher for Hart. Until he took himself out of the race, Cuomo was considered by some to rank almost as a co-front-runner with Hart. Now Hart occupies that slot all by himself--and past experience suggests that this distinction brings problems.

One former adviser to 1984 Democratic standard bearer Walter F. Mondale said it “means that everybody else is in a position to beat up on him.”

Cuomo, who gained national prominence by his highly praised keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco, won reelection by a record landslide in November.

Since that victory, pressure for him to decide whether to seek the presidency escalated sharply. At most press conferences, reporters would focus on statewide issues only after questioning the governor about the White House.

In recent weeks, Cuomo turned for advice to political consultants within the Democratic Party, asking them whether he should run for the presidency. The answers he received were mixed, though he said on the flight to California that most consultants had urged him to run.

Cite Potential Negatives

But some sounded warnings about potential negatives: that he was too “New York,” that his ethnicity could be a handicap that would have to be overcome in some states--especially in the South where more than a dozen states will hold simultaneous primaries on March 8, 1988.

There were some personal reasons as well. As Cuomo considered seeking the presidency, he was increasingly aware of the kind of unremitting microscopic scrutiny candidates and their families--especially potential front-runners--have to endure for months on end.

Some political opponents in New York state have sought to make political capital from Cuomo’s closeness to his eldest son, Andrew, who is in private law practice in Manhattan and who managed his father’s two gubernatorial campaigns. The governor had stressed that if he ran for the White House, his son would not be active formally in that effort.

On the plane to California, Cuomo, a former trial lawyer and law professor, spoke just a bit wistfully of opportunities missed--indicating his deep love of the law--and said that he had always dreamed of being a judge.

Offers No Endorsement

Cuomo told his radio audience Thursday night that he was not prepared at this time to support any potential candidate. He said, however, that he would continue his speaking schedule around the country, which includes dates in Iowa, New Hampshire and Florida. Only on Wednesday, he had added four more out-of-state trips to his travel schedule, including several fund-raising appearances for Democratic senators.

“If they still want me to come, I’ll be there,” he said.

Cuomo left the radio station without taking questions from reporters.

“I thought it was a very complete statement,” said Martin Steadman, the governor’s communications director. “He’s entitled to his opinions. He said as much as he wanted to.”

Times Political Writer Robert Shogan in Washington contributed to this story.