Nixon Reportedly Sees Bush and Cuomo as Out in Front

Former President Richard M. Nixon says New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo is the front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination and Vice President George Bush will probably be the Republican nominee, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday.

However, Nixon would not “bet the ranch” on Bush’s nomination, the newspaper said, quoting a confidential memorandum.

Bush is hampered by an image problem and appears “as a weak individual on television,” said Nixon, 74, who predicts that the GOP will retain the presidency unless there is a decline in the economy.

In that event, “the Democrats could nominate a jackass and probably win,” Nixon wrote.

Nixon frequently corresponds with President Reagan and other prominent GOP leaders, and the memorandum was sent in June to friends and political associates, the newspaper said.

In it, Nixon referred to Cuomo as the front-runner because “he appeals to the hearts of Democrats rather than their heads,” according to the report.

Cuomo has said he will not be a candidate for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, although he has not ruled out the possibility of accepting a last-minute draft.