Hart Quits, Says He Let People Decide : Former Front-Runner Never Regained Speed on Heels of Scandal

DENVER â€”  Gary Hart ended his on-again, off-again bid for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination today, saying, “The people have decided and now I should not go forward.â€�

It was the second withdrawal for the man who once was the prohibitive front-runner for his party’s nomination, coming 10 months after he quit because of questions concerning his relationship with Miami model Donna Rice.

Flanked by members of his family, Hart told a news conference that when he rejoined the race last December, he wanted to “let the people decide.�

“I got a fair hearing and the people have decided and now I should not go forward,� he declared.

The former Colorado senator departed with words of praise for the surviving Democratic contenders, but with thinly veiled criticism as well.

He said Democrats have won only a single presidential election since 1964, and added: “Those who cling to the past mask their lack of direction with caution and platitudes. We can only be prepared to govern if we challenge the future with bold new ideas.�

He said the contenders must offer detailed budget proposals and learn the details of military reform--two points he made repeatedly in his rerun for the nomination.

Trace of Past Defiance

Hart’s second exit contained only a trace of the defiance that marked his departure in May, but he struck one similar note.

“To those of you in and out of politics who may face setbacks, failures or defeats--who are told to give up, accommodate or compromise--I hope you will simply say as I do--’Hell no,’ � Hart said.

Hart also stepped back from the criticism of reporters that marked his second try for the nomination, saying, “I want to thank members of the media who were fair and balanced.�

He was the overwhelming favorite for the nomination when he announced his bid a year ago, but his campaign self-destructed in the springtime scandal.

He plunged back into the campaign last December and briefly soared in the polls, but it quickly became clear the voters were deciding he was not their man, relegating him to the back of the pack in the early primaries and caucuses.

Hart failed to garner a single delegate to the 1988 Democratic National Convention, and his vote percentage never reached double digits in any contest.

Hart’s undoing in his initial bid came when the Miami Herald newspaper staked out his Washington town house and reported that Rice, 29, a part-time model, spent a night there.

More Questions Arise

There were questions about that, because the paper admitted it did not have every entrance monitored all night. But then photos of Rice sitting on Hart’s knee aboard a yacht called the Monkey Business on a trip to Bimini surfaced.

Hart, however, repeatedly refused to discuss specifics of his relationship with Rice, saying it was his personal business.

Later he admitted: “I never should have been on a boat with a woman who was not my wife, but that’s not the issue. It’s complicated. It’s the system. It’s all of us.�