Tsongas May Rejoin Race If He Gets 15% of N.Y. Vote

Key aides to former Massachusetts Sen. Paul E. Tsongas said Friday that he would seriously consider renewing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination if he gets at least 15% of the vote in the New York primary Tuesday.

Tsongas suspended his campaign just over two weeks ago, saying he lacked the money to continue.

Lee Gounardes, one of the leaders of New York’s Draft Tsongas Committee, quoted Tsongas as saying Thursday night: “Show me 15% and we’ll plan out the rest of the campaign.” Fifteen percent is the threshold for acquiring delegates from New York to the party’s presidential convention.

Peggy Connolly, Tsongas’ press secretary, said a 15% showing was only “half the formula” for Tsongas to consider re-entering the race. The other half is the fate of the current front-runner, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton.

If Clinton loses New York to former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr., Tsongas could get back into the fray, Connolly said. If Clinton wins New York but “there’s an indication the two candidates are pretty weak, then we’ll take that under advisement,” she added.

Although his campaign is suspended, Tsongas has been gingerly testing support for a renewed bid. He met privately Thursday with the editorial boards of Newsday and the New York Times.

“We were interested in hearing what his plans were,” said James Klurfeld, Newsday’s editorial page editor. “There is a lot of dissatisfaction with the other candidates out there.”

Neither Klurfeld nor a New York Times spokeswoman would disclose what was discussed in the meetings.

Tsongas met privately Wednesday with congressional supporters, such as Sen. David L. Boren (D-Okla.), the only senator outside of Massachusetts who endorsed him. Boren released a letter Friday he wrote to Tsongas, urging him to rejoin the presidential race.

Also Friday, radio and cable television advertisements paid for by the Draft Tsongas Committee started airing. Narrated by actor E. G. Marshall, the ad says: “As we all know, Paul Tsongas suspended his campaign due to lack of funds. But he’s still on the ballot here in New York. We need to bring Paul Tsongas back into this race and keep his message alive.”

Tsongas’ campaign was $500,000 in debt when he announced its suspension March 19, just two days after losing by large margins in Illinois and Michigan to Clinton’s well-organized and well-financed political organization. At the time, Tsongas said he would not continue in the race simply to be a “spoiler.”

“He’s in a very, very delicate position,” said Barry White, Tsongas’ campaign chairman. “He feels Gov. Clinton deserves a fair shot at the nomination, but if the party feels that Clinton is not going to be able to carry the country against George Bush, Paul is the rational alternative.”