Wilson Again Puts Announcement for President on Hold

Gov. Pete Wilson’s long-delayed announcement for the presidency has been put off until after he and the Legislature come to terms on a new state budget--a delay that could push Wilson’s official entry to mid-July or later.

The move, the latest in a months-long series of postponements, essentially puts control of the governor’s presidential timetable in the hands of state lawmakers who have spent much of their time recently embroiled in nasty arguments over the ascension of Assembly Speaker Doris Allen (R-Cypress).

Nonetheless, Wilson campaign spokesman Dan Schnur indicated that the delay was necessary.

“Pete Wilson has made it clear since Day 1 that his first obligation is to the responsibilities of his office and the people of California,” Schnur said. “And with the Legislature’s deadline for passing a budget only a few days away, he believes it makes more sense for him to concentrate his energies and attention on working with the Legislature to pass a balanced budget.”

There are also practical political concerns that dictate postponing the announcement. Wilson’s rationale for running is that he is the only Republican candidate who is running a state and trying to implement popular GOP programs. To be seen as abandoning California during its always-difficult budget deliberations would undercut that presumed advantage.

It would also potentially alienate California voters, who will judge Wilson in the March 26 primary.

The delay, which follows postponements forced by Wilson’s surgery-weakened voice, prompted the campaign to underscore the governor’s intent to run for President. As evidence that Wilson is “serious about this race,” Schnur said the governor will travel to Iowa and Florida this weekend to announce endorsements in those pivotal states.

The campaign will open offices shortly in Iowa, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., Schnur said. Iowa is scheduled to hold the first caucuses on Feb. 12, and the first-in-the-nation primary is to be held in New Hampshire eight days later.

In March, Wilson formed an exploratory campaign for the Republican nomination, and aides said at the time that a formal announcement would be forthcoming within two months.

A few weeks later, he had a benign nodule removed from a vocal chord--an operation from which he was supposed to recover in a week. A slow recovery forced repeated postponements of Wilson’s announcement.

Now, a full two months later, Wilson is still not operating at full strength, and there is concern in the campaign that he is not up to the demands of an announcement for President, which would not only entail a speech but also news media interviews.

The state Legislature is supposed to hand a budget to the governor by June 30, but in recent years that date has rarely been met. In 1992, the governor and Legislature wrangled for 63 days after the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year before they came to terms.

Schnur said Wilson is not worried about a similar hang-up.

“There will be plenty of time for campaigning,” he said.