Simon Suspends Campaign but Holds Onto Delegates

WASHINGTON —  Sen. Paul Simon suspended his Democratic presidential bid today but kept a lock on his 170 delegates, saying “no one knows what twists and turns may develop” before the July nominating convention.

At the same time, Simon said at a Washington news conference, “I have no illusions that the nomination will come my way.”

Simon said he will make a final decision on his candidacy after the last primaries on June 7. In the meantime, he said he will devote his time to his duties as an Illinois senator.

He said by holding onto his delegates until the convention, he hoped to have some influence over whom the party nominates. “I want to make sure this country does what it ought to do,” he told reporters.

Didn’t Communicate Message

Simon, 59, known for his trademark bow tie and liberal views, attributed his campaign’s stall to his own failure to effectively communicate his message of traditional Democratic philosophy and advocacy of a legitimate role for government in bringing about social reforms.

The campaign also was hampered by a lack of money, he said, but added that he will finish with only about $400,000 in debts.

Simon’s quasi-withdrawal leaves just three Democrats in the race--Jesse Jackson, Michael S. Dukakis and Albert Gore Jr.. His decision comes after months of poor showings; he won only his home-state primary.

During his travels around the nation, Simon said he found “there really is a yearning across this good land for leadership that appeals to the noble in us, rather than the greed in us.”

He said problems like the arms race, unemployment, crime and inadequacies in health care and education “are not the result of acts of God, but the result of insensitive leadership, chosen by a people who sometimes are not as caring nor as careful as they might be.”

Simon minimized chances that he might seek the presidency again in 1992. “Running for President is a little like taking an ice-cold shower,” he said. “It is a great one-time experience, but I have no yearning for a repeat performance.”

Hopes for More Delegates

Simon, according to an aide, hopes to pick up some additional delegates as an inactive candidate between now and the convention.

Simon, who entered the race a year ago promising a return to “leadership rooted in the traditional values of our party,” was unable to put together a winning campaign formula.

He had a brief rendezvous with momentum before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation February caucuses, emerging on top in several polls of Iowa voters taken late in 1987.

When Feb. 8 arrived, Simon finished a close second in Iowa behind Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt. A week later, he came in third in New Hampshire behind Dukakis and Gephardt.

It was mostly downhill from there.