Pennsylvania’s Ex-Gov. Casey Explores Challenge to Clinton

Robert P. Casey, the former Pennsylvania governor known for his opposition to abortion, announced a presidential exploratory effort Friday that could throw a wild card into fellow Democrat Bill Clinton’s reelection bid.

Casey’s filing with the Federal Election Commission enables him to raise money and seek support for a campaign. It would be the first reelection challenge to Clinton from within his own party.

Casey said in a statement from his Scranton, Pa., office that he would make a decision on running by April or May.

His formation of the Casey for President Exploratory Committee raises the possibility that Clinton, already expected to face a strong Republican challenge in 1996, will have to win a primary challenge first.

However, Democratic partisans were quick to portray Casey as a one-issue candidate merely seeking a platform for his anti-abortion views.

In addition, a serious run for the presidency could be hurt by voter concerns about his health. Casey, 63, underwent a rare heart-liver transplant in 1993 to fight a genetic organ-destroying malady. His doctor told reporters in January that his heart and liver were functioning normally and he was fit to run for office.

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry called Friday’s development insignificant. He said, “Given the record that Bill Clinton has compiled over the past two years, it is very hard to make the case that he should be challenged.”

Casey left office in January after finishing his second term. He won reelection by a landslide in 1990.

His anti-abortion views have increasingly affected his political actions, to the extent that he refused to endorse Clinton as the party’s nominee in 1992.

Casey spokeswoman Karen Walsh said Casey was not giving interviews Friday but wanted it known that he would campaign on a range of issues, not just abortion.

In other political developments Friday, Republican Lynn Martin, a former labor secretary and Illinois congresswoman, said she would not join the crowded Republican presidential field. “I would not bring the full commitment of time, energy and person that the next year requires and that the run deserves,” she said.