Hart Opens Campaign for Presidency : Says ’88 Race Will Be ‘Referendum on Nation’s Future’

On a blustery day with the snow-covered Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, Gary Hart launched his second campaign for the White House today, saying he is seeking the prize that eluded him in 1984 “because I love my country.”

In declaring his candidacy at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in the foothills southwest of Denver, Hart said: “America is not an abstraction. It is 250 million human beings united by a common geography and a free heritage.”

“I can help lead America to its future destiny” Hart said, challenging other contenders for the Democratic nomination to wage a campaign of ideas in an election he called “nothing less than a referendum on our nation’s future.”

New Deal Background

Hart, 50, said he thought it was appropriate for him to make his statement in a Denver park built in the 1930s partially with funds from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal.

“It is a symbol of what a benevolent government can do and therefore it is appropriate for the statement which I wish to make.”

Under mostly cloudy skies with the temperatures in the low 30s, Hart, in a blue suit, stood on a boulder in a snow- and slush-filled parking lot to launch his second presidential campaign.

He was accompanied by his wife Lee, daughter, Andrea, and a few top staff aides. His son, John, did not attend.

Four years after opening his first campaign as a little-known insurgent from the Rocky Mountains, Hart formally enters the race as a seasoned veteran of presidential politics with an experienced staff, the prospects of adequate financing and a game plan that does not end until the Democratic convention in Atlanta.

Wanted to Stay Home

Hart originally wanted to announce his candidacy on the front lawn of his home--known as “Troublesome Gulch”--but was persuaded to go to nearby Red Rock, a magnificent park in the foothills outside Denver.

“We don’t need a lot of hoopla and stuff,” campaign manager Bill Dixon said of the event geared to the media and closed to the public. “It’s going to be very short.”

Dixon said Hart did not solicit advice on the announcement, saying instead that if he cannot explain to the voters why he is running and why he should be the next President, “I shouldn’t be running and I shouldn’t be President.”

Hart also scheduled a midday rally in downtown Denver, a news conference Tuesday and an opening swing through Texas, Iowa, Pennsylvania and California.

Hart faces a large field of challengers, and Hart forces are taking them seriously.

Already announced as candidates for the Democratic nomination are Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, former Gov. Bruce Babbitt of Arizona, Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois and Sen. Albert Gore Jr. of Tennessee.

Certain to make the race are Jesse Jackson, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts. Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas also could be a challenger.