POLITICS 88 : CAMPAIGN ’88 : Simon to Wait and See

Sen. Paul Simon, who won only his home-state primary in Illinois, will suspend active campaigning, sources said Wednesday, and will keep his delegates in the hope of influencing the Democratic convention.

Wisconsin voters thwarted Simon’s attempt to make a comeback, and he got only 5% of their votes on Tuesday. The first-term Illinois senator met Wednesday with aides and supporters at his Washington home to draft plans for the future of his campaign for the presidential nomination.

Simon was to announce his decision at a Capitol Hill news conference today.

“I think he’s going to do what people expect, which is to suspend,” said one source close to the campaign. “I think he wants to keep his voice and the voice of those elected as delegates alive.”

By suspending his campaign but remaining a candidate, Simon would keep control of the 170.5 delegate votes he has won or is in line to get. By staying in, he would keep control of 47 Illinois delegates at large. He won the slots but the delegates will not be named until May. Should he withdraw, he would lose the 47 delegates to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson.