Says He Was ‘Nasty Fraud’ Victim : Du Pont Wants His Name Pulled From Texas Ballot

Former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV asked Saturday that his name be pulled off the Texas Republican primary ballot, saying his presidential campaign was a victim of “a nasty fraud” involving forged signatures on petitions.

A top Texas GOP official said that it was too late to remove Du Pont’s name and that any votes he receives would be designated as uncommitted.

Du Pont said that a firm hired to gather signatures had forged them and that one of his campaign staffers had engaged in related “wrongful activities” and has been fired.

“I am outraged to be a victim of this fraud, but that doesn’t make the ballot petitions more valid,” he said before a debate with the other GOP contenders.

Specifically, Du Pont said: “I have learned that my campaign was a victim of a nasty fraud undertaken by the same company that offered to sell us signatures.

Temporary Employees

“We had contracted with this firm in early December to provide temporary employees to gather signatures. It now appears that, among other things, they induced teen-agers to fraudulently fill out petitions.”

In the Texas primary on March 8, 111 delegates to the Republican National Convention are at stake, the largest total among the 20 states that have scheduled contests on Super Tuesday.

Federal investigators began looking into the petition-signature controversy one week ago after news reports of allegations of forgeries on petitions submitted by Kansas Sen. Bob Dole and former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. The party also began checking the signatures.

Party officials have said that Vice President George Bush and former television evangelist Pat Robertson have enough valid signatures to keep any delegates they might win in the primary. Checks are not yet complete on petitions submitted by Du Pont, Rep. Jack Kemp of New York, Haig and Dole.

Will Remain on Ballot

Officials have said that all names will remain on the ballot, but only candidates with sufficient petition signatures can receive delegates.

John Weaver, Texas GOP executive director, said Saturday after Du Pont requested that his name be removed: “The date has passed at which you can be taken off the ballot. It’s unfortunate that someone of Pete du Pont’s integrity, honesty and character ultimately had to pay a price for the acts of only a few.”

Du Pont said other campaigns used the same company he accused of involvement with the forged signatures, but he did not elaborate.

‘I don’t know everything that happened, but I know enough to know what to do,” Du Pont said.

Although the employee was fired, he said, “no one in the management of my campaign authorized or had any knowledge of these activities.” Du Pont aides identified the fired staffer as Rosanne Robertson, a former receptionist in the candidate’s Delaware headquarters.

Du Pont’s campaign and others hired a firm in Houston--Southern Political Consulting--to help meet the 5,000-signature Texas petition requirements for the primary.

Du Pont said the decision makes the campaign “more difficult . . . the hill will be steeper.”