Lugar Weighs GOP Run for White House

Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a recognized expert on foreign policy issues, is nearing a decision to seek the Republican nomination for President in 1996.

Lugar, 62, has decided to demonstrate his interest in the GOP nomination by attending a party gathering in New Hampshire on Feb. 19, which is considered to be the curtain-raiser for that state’s presidential primary campaign.

In addition, he is expected to announce the establishment of an exploratory committee on March 18, when he plans a fund-raiser in his home state. Later, the committee will likely be converted into a full-blown presidential campaign organization.

Lugar joins a number of other Republican senators who are expected to seek the nomination, including Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, Phil Gramm of Texas and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

But Lugar’s decision could have more impact on another potential contender, former Vice President Dan Quayle, who served as the junior senator from Indiana behind Lugar before being chosen in 1988 as George Bush’s running mate. At the time, the choice of Quayle was seen in Indiana as something of an insult to the state’s senior senator.

In the Senate, Lugar’s star was similarly eclipsed in 1987 when Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) used his seniority to claim Lugar’s position as ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. If Lugar had prevailed over Helms, he--not Helms--would today be chairman of the high-profile committee under the new Republican majority.

Yet despite Helms’ ranking position on Foreign Affairs, Lugar has continued to serve as the Republicans’ chief congressional spokesman on foreign policy issues.

As Agriculture Committee chairman, Lugar has distinguished himself from other members of the committee by being an outspoken critic of farm subsidies and has been unusually pro-environment for a farm-state senator.