Ex-Aide Says Hart May Re-Enter Race but He Denies It

The former campaign manager for Gary Hart said in an interview Thursday that it was “clearly possible and even probable” that Hart would re-enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But no sooner had William Dixon made that prediction to a Madison, Wis., radio station than Hart himself and other former Hart advisers were shooting the idea down.

Cable News Network reported Thursday that Hart denied he was getting back into the race when reached in Ireland, where he is traveling with his son, John. He is not expected back in Denver, where he practices law, until next week.

‘Absolutely No Plans’

“So far as I know, there are absolutely no plans for Sen. Hart to get back into the race,” said Los Angeles lawyer John Emerson, a top Hart adviser.

Hart ended his campaign May 8 after it was stalled by reports that he had spent a weekend at his Washington home with Miami model Donna Rice while his wife was in Denver.

Emerson said he had talked with Hart adviser William Shore and that Shore also does not think Hart will re-enter the race. Shore was traveling from Washington to his Denver home and could not be reached for comment.

Both Emerson and Shore have remained close to Hart since he quit the race. By contrast, Dixon was reportedly very angry when the Rice affair broke and his relations with Hart have been strained ever since, according to sources close to Hart.

‘Would Be Long Shot’

Dixon acknowledged that Hart would be a long shot to get the nomination, but he said the former Colorado senator would boost Democratic chances by raising issues such as national defense and U.S.-Soviet relations.

“It would be a campaign with two or three paid employees instead of 500 or 600,” Dixon said. “It would not be a big fund-raising campaign. It would be a campaign devoted to the issues.”

Emerson said that Hart will make his first public speech since he withdrew next month in Philadelphia. He plans to talk to the World Affairs Council about U.S.-Soviet relations.

“Gary’s greatest concern is to advance the debate in this election and to make sure a Democrat is elected President in 1988,” Emerson said.

Series of Speeches

Earlier this summer, Hart said in an interview with The Times that, while his campaign for President was over, he planned to make a series of speeches about issues because “I want to contribute to the debate.”

One source close to Hart, who asked not to be identified, said that in recent weeks Hart had been encouraged by some financial backers to get back into the race, if for no other reason than to apply for federal campaign funds. Hart has a debt of more than $1 million from his 1984 and 1988 campaigns.