Dukakis Sweeps Ohio and Indiana : Moves Closer to Nomination With Easy Victories; Jackson Takes D.C.

Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis continued to sail toward the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday as he rolled up comfortable victories over the Rev. Jesse Jackson in Ohio and Indiana.

In Ohio, with 97% of the vote counted, Dukakis led Jackson, 63% to 27%, and was in position to win most of the state’s 159 Democraticconvention delegates.

In Indiana, where 79 delegates were at stake, Dukakis led by 69% to 23%, with 88% of the ballots counted.

Jackson’s only consolation was the primary in the District of Columbia, where about two-thirds of the voters are black. With 100% of the precincts reporting, Jackson beat Dukakis, 80% to 18%, and was poised to win most or all of the capital’s 16 delegates.

Bush Coasts to Victory

Vice President George Bush, who has already collected enough delegates for the Republican nomination, coasted to victory in all three of Tuesday’s primaries. Bush was on the ballot with Kansas Sen. Bob Dole and former religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, but Dole dropped out of the race and Robertson did not campaign actively in any of the contests.

The delegate tabulations were slower than the popular vote, but Dukakis led for 182 delegates from the three contests to 69 for Jackson, according to the Associated Press. Not counting Tuesday’s primaries, Dukakis had slightly more than 1,300 of the 2,081 delegates needed to clinch the nomination, a lead of nearly 450 in the AP tally over his remaining rival.

In Boston, Dukakis said that the Tuesday results represented “terrific progress, a real boost for the campaign.”

“I want to thank the people of Ohio and Indiana,” he said at a news conference after the polls closed. “Both states, I think, we can put in the Democratic column” in November.

Dukakis was counting on big victories in the two Midwestern states to propel him toward a final showdown with Jackson in California on June 7. The margin of Dukakis’ victories served to emphasize that Jackson is running out of opportunities to derail Dukakis’ nomination drive. Only 114 delegates are at stake in the remaining primaries leading up to California.

Jackson, speaking Tuesday night at a party in Washington to celebrate the only victory he had realistically anticipated, insisted he was winning--but continued to redefine the term.

‘Winning Everywhere’

The campaign is “winning everywhere,” he told supporters. “It’s not what they believe; it’s not just counting votes,” he said, “though we have nearly 5 million. It’s not just counting delegates, though we’re moving toward a thousand. It’s . . . changing national priorities.”

His effort, Jackson said, “did not start in Iowa; it will not end in Atlanta . . . the struggle tonight is for the direction of our party and the soul of our nation.”

“All the way to California and New Jersey, we keep on winning. When I consider where we started from, I feel no ways tired,” he said.

Bush, meanwhile, appeared briefly in Washington before 500 supporters at an “over the top” rally at a downtown hotel. The vice president actually has been able to claim enough delegates to assure him of the nomination for a week--but when this event was scheduled, aides believed it would take until Tuesday’s votes in Indiana and Ohio to clinch it.

“We’ve wrapped this thing up sooner than any of us thought would take place. But we’ve got a long way to go,” Bush said.

“Whether the Democrats nominate Mike Dukakis or Jesse Jackson, we’re going to have a clear choice. Just as clear as in 1980, just as clear as in 1984.

“Let Mike Dukakis go around here talking about pink slips, despair, pessimism in the United States,” Bush said. “I’ll be the guy out there talking about hope and opportunity and challenge.”

Bush’s son, George Jr., told the crowd his father “needs a real job” and added:

“Sometimes sons can say things a father can’t. We want you to go out there and kick some Mike Dukakis, and kick him hard.”

Bush leaves Washington today for a campaign swing to Sacramento, Los Angeles, Idaho and Nebraska.

Dukakis, despite his huge lead in opinion polls in both Ohio and Indiana, did not take his victories for granted. Until Tuesday, he had not won in a Midwestern, industrial state, having sustained losses in Michigan and Illinois.

May Not Be Stoppable

But with victory in hand Tuesday night, the Massachusetts governor noted that “it’s going to be difficult,” given his own delegate strength for Jackson to deny him the nomination.

With more and more questions being asked about whether it was time for Jackson to drop out of the race, Dukakis said only that the continuing competition, if kept on a positive plane, helps build a base for the general election. “That’s why I don’t mind if we compete, as long as we keep it positive,” he said.

The prospect of keeping the Democratic campaign amicable was uncertain, however. The Ohio and Indiana primaries, in fact, marked the first time in the campaign that Jackson went on the attack against a rival. In speeches and television advertising, Jackson accused Dukakis of lacking the leadership to take the nation in a new direction, saying the Massachusetts governor intended only to “manage” the current Republican economic policies instead of reversing them.

He also said that Dukakis had failed to explain how he would finance his promised crackdown on illegal narcotics, create jobs and balance the federal budget.

‘Pay for Dreams’

“You have to offer a plan, not just a promise,” Jackson said in a Cleveland speech. “You’ve got to pay for dreams. Children dream at Christmastime. Parents must pay, because Santa Claus does not deal in credit.”

Jackson also scolded reporters for failing to closely scrutinize Dukakis’ policies.

Dukakis declined to respond directly to the criticism. Instead, he pointed to his record as governor, promising voters that he would duplicate Massachusetts’ low unemployment rate and social programs across the country.

“I’m a doer, not a talker,” he said repeatedly as he campaigned in the two states.

Some party officials expressed concern that Jackson’s criticism could be troublesome for Dukakis by pointing out areas that Republicans would attack in the general election.

“It doesn’t disturb us,” said Dukakis’ special assistant Nick Mitropoulos, “at least not for the moment. I think Jesse is just trying to speak to the issues. It’s still a positive campaign.”

Paul G. Kirk Jr., chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, a presidential hopeful knocked out earlier in the contests, agreed.

“I don’t think Jackson’s comments are going to do any damage,” Simon said.

Dukakis, who spent four days campaigning in Ohio and Indiana in the last week, will devote only two days to West Virginia and Nebraska, where 62 delegates will be decided in primaries next Tuesday.

Jackson will make only a token run at those states and instead will concentrate on California and New Jersey, where 423 delegates are at stake on June 7.

Metzenbaum Wins

In other elections Tuesday, Ohio Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum, one of the most liberal members of Congress, easily won the Democratic nomination for a third term, paving the way for a big-money battle against Cleveland’s Republican mayor, George Voinovich.

Indiana Secretary of State Evan Bayh and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Bob Jordan captured their states’ Democratic nominations for governor and will seek to reclaim the top post from Republicans.

Metzenbaum rolled up more than 80% of the vote to defeat a little-known and under-financed challenger, Ralph Applegate.

In Indiana, Bayh also was capturing more than four-fifths of the Democratic vote to defeat two challengers.

Lt. Gov. John M. Mutz, 52, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Bayh, 32-year-old son of former Sen. Birch Bayh, was aided by one of the most famous names in Indiana politics in his bid to end 20 years of Republican rule. Gov. Robert D. Orr was barred by state law from seeking a third term.

In North Carolina, Jordan received about 80% of the vote to easily beat four challengers. Gov. James G. Martin, only the second Republican this century to hold the governor’s office in North Carolina, had no primary opposition as he sought a second term.

Staff writers John Balzar and Karen Tumulty in Washington and James Gerstenzang in Boston contributed to this story.

DEMOCRATIC VOTEOhio 13,233 of 13,600 precincts reporting--97%.

159 convention delegates at stake.

Vote Pct. Delegates Dukakis 849,750 63 115 Jackson 365,810 27 41 Others 130,765 9 3

Indiana 4,324 of 4,895 precincts reporting--88%.

79 convention delegates at stake.

Vote Pct. Delegates Dukakis 380,817 69 64 Jackson 123,691 23 15 Others 44,439 8 0

District of Columbia 140 of 140 precincts reporting--100%.

16 convention delegates at stake.

Vote Pct. Delegates Jackson 67,812 80 13 Dukakis 14,969 18 3 Others 1,733 2 0