Laxalt Signals Likely Drive for Presidency

WASHINGTON —  Sen. Paul Laxalt (R-Nev.), signaling that he is moving toward running for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, declared Wednesday that “the old Reagan team” has vowed its support and that he no longer considers the outcome of his libel suit against the Sacramento Bee to be a factor in his decision.

Laxalt, a close friend of and three-time campaign manager for President Reagan, said the key factor will be whether he can raise the money needed to run a credible race. He estimated that he will need $8 million to $10 million; in the past, he has expressed confidence that he can raise the funds.

The potential candidacy of Laxalt, who earlier had stressed that conservatives trusted him, in comparison to Vice President George Bush, the accepted front-runner for the GOP nomination, has worried Bush political operatives. They fear that Laxalt would draw substantial support that otherwise would go to Bush.

However, Marlin Fitzwater, Bush’s press secretary, said Wednesday: “There is plenty of room in the race for a lot of people. If he (Laxalt) wants to, he should come on in.”

But an official of Bush’s political action committee, Fund for America’s Future, speaking not for attribution, said the longer Laxalt waited to make up his mind about running for the nomination, the better it would be from Bush’s standpoint.

Laxalt said that White House pollster Richard B. Wirthlin and former Reagan political aides Lyn Nofziger and Edward J. Rollins have all promised their support if he runs. Rollins currently is co-chairman of Bush’s political action committee.

Rollins has said that, although he would support Bush if Laxalt does not run, he and many conservative Republicans would support the senator if he enters the race.

$250-Million Libel Suit

Laxalt, general chairman of the Republican Party, previously had said that his decision on whether to run would be linked to the outcome of his $250-million libel suit against the Bee. He sued the newspaper after it reported that money had been improperly skimmed from a Carson City, Nev., casino while Laxalt was an owner.

The senator, in a breakfast session with reporters, said that, because of continuing delays in getting the suit to trial, he has “disconnected” the matter from his decision. “I can’t make a political decision based on lawyers’ timetables,” he said.

Laxalt, who has been campaigning for Republican candidates for the Senate, predicted that the GOP will retain control of the Senate in next November’s elections and commented on Republican chances in several of the close races. He said Rep. Ed Zschau (R-Los Altos) probably will unseat Senate Minority Whip Alan Cranston (D-Calif.).

If he runs for the presidency, Laxalt said, he will be fully committed to the race and will “do whatever is required” to mount an effective campaign.

In responding to a suggestion that he sounded as though he had already decided to run, Laxalt said: “I’m not fully there yet.” He plans to sit down with family members and close associates next spring after his term as GOP chairman expires and “coldly assess” his chances of winning the nomination, he said.

Can Afford to Wait

Other potential GOP candidates already are organizing and raising funds for their campaigns, but Laxalt said he could afford to wait because “I’ve got a lot of political people in place” and therefore could move quickly later.

People who worked in the Reagan presidential campaigns that he headed have assured him that they will refrain from endorsing any candidate until he has made his decision next spring, he said.

Although Laxalt’s record of owning a gambling casino and presiding, as Nevada’s governor, over legalized gambling and prostitution would come under heavy scrutiny in a presidential campaign, the senator indicated that he does not believe it would pose a political problem.

With legal lotteries springing up around the country and local and state governments legalizing other gambling, he said, the nation is “more tolerant of gambling” and “millions of Americans enjoy it as a recreational experience.”

Defends Legal Prostitution

He described Nevada as a “live-and-let-live state” and defended legalized prostitution there. Although he would not make the “same moral judgment for Bible Belt states,” he said, in Nevada “I’m not so sure it’s not better to have it legalized than otherwise.”

Laxalt said the GOP, which now has a 53-47 edge in the Senate, is likely to retain control of that chamber next November if Reagan continues to be popular and there is no significant downturn in the economy.

If the Democrats do regain control, he said, the President will face “two years of purgatory and perhaps even hell” in the Senate, where many of his programs and judicial appointments might be stymied during the rest of his presidency.