Specter Sets Date for Launch of White House Run

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania will declare his presidential candidacy on March 30, he said Wednesday. He plans a three-day tour likely to end in Wichita, Kan., the childhood hometown he shares with Sen. Bob Dole, another likely GOP candidate.

Specter has made no secret of his intention to enter the 1996 race. In setting an announcement date, he said he was convinced that his mix of economic conservatism and social libertarianism--including support for abortion rights--has broad appeal in the Republican Party.

“I now know that my view, the view of Goldwater Republicans everywhere, is also my country’s view,” he said in a statement. “The American people today want to get government out of their pocketbooks, off their backs and out of their bedrooms.”

As Specter laid out his plans, Dole was endorsed by New York’s 14 House Republicans. He also has been endorsed by Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato (R-N.Y.) and that state’s governor, George Pataki.