Hart Says His Campaign Will Be ‘Different’

Gary Hart, on his first official swing of the 1988 Democratic presidential race, promised today to run a different campaign from previous front-runners, staking out his positions on issues ranging from AIDS tests to arms talks.

“We genuinely hope this campaign will be different,” Hart told a Denver news conference. “I have this strange notion that people care about ideas.”

And 1988 will be different from 1984 as well.

“I was not prepared for all the scrutiny that came with” his victory in the 1984 New Hampshire Primary, Hart said.

The former Colorado senator also told reporters he hopes the Reagan Administration will be able to reach agreement with the Soviet Union on intermediate-range missiles in Europe and that he would be ready to negotiate one-to-one with Soviet leaders if he is elected.

Hart also criticized the Reagan Administration for letting development of conventional weapons systems lapse while concentrating on space-based weaponry.

“The dirty little secret is that we have not built up conventional weapons as we should,” Hart told reporters before embarking on a campaign tour to Texas and Iowa.

Hart said he was opposed to mandatory testing for AIDS, saying, “it is probably unconstitutional.”

Hart formally entered the presidential race Monday with a pair of announcement speeches in and near Denver, his hometown. (Story on Page 5.)

At today’s news conference, Hart said the Reagan Administration has devoted too much attention to the space-based “Star Wars” weapons systems while improvements to conventional weapons systems are needed.

He said he favors the elimination over the next two decades of intercontinental ballistic missiles and believes NATO should be reformed. The United States should concentrate on improving its European sea and air power, while the NATO allies should devote their energies to upgrading their land forces, Hart said.

Hart also called for a $10-per-barrel tax on imported oil and a tax on luxury items to whittle the national debt. Up to $25 billion could be raised by the two taxes, he said.