Cuomo Urges Write-In Group to Stop Its Effort

Gov. Mario M. Cuomo told the leaders of an unauthorized draft movement Friday that they should stop promoting him as a candidate for President.

Officials of the organization, headquartered in Chicago, said they would honor Cuomo’s wishes and end their campaign activities.

“I am flattered by their support, and impressed by their commitment, but I am also convinced that in fairness to themselves they ought now to end their effort,” the New York Democrat said.

“I have said more than once that the nomination should go to someone willing and able to campaign for it. I am willing, but because New York’s budget has not been settled I am not able to campaign for it,” he said in a statement.

Cuomo’s statement did not say if he would consider joining the presidential race if he could settle the state budget soon. He has said that he hopes to have the budget completed by March 15.

Cuomo announced Dec. 20 that he would not run for President because of his state’s budget problems. But when a National Draft Cuomo for President Committee formed, he did not encourage or discourage its work in promoting him as a write-in candidate.

Phil Krone, committee chairman, had said he would stop the draft movement if Cuomo said he would not enter the race.

Krone said a worse-than-expected 4% showing in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary for a Cuomo write-in effort convinced him that he should consider giving up the effort.

“Originally, my position was that if he asked us to stop, we wouldn’t have stopped. . . . But we’re not interested in hurting him.”

In Washington, aides to House Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.), Sen. Albert Gore Jr. (D-Tenn.) and Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) told Reuters on Friday that the prominent Democrats have no plans to enter the presidential campaign.