Hart denies affair, poll shows damage

Press, 7 May 1987, Page 10

Hart denies affair, poll shows damage

NZPA-Reuter New York The Democratic presidential front-runner, Gary Hart, has denied reports linking b«m romantically to an actress, while an opinion poll shows that the scandal has hurt his campaign.

In a speech to a group of newspaper publishers yesterday, the former Colorado senator said he had done nothing immoral but had put himself into a situation that might be misunderstood.

Mr Hart, aged 50, who has been married 28 years, dismissed a report published in the “Miami Herald” that an aspiring actress and model, Donna Rice, aged. 29, spent the night at his Washington home'last week-end while his wife, Lee, was away. He called the report “misleading and false.”

“Did I make a mistake by putting myself in a situation that might be misconstrued?” Mr Hart asked. “Of course I did.

“Did I do anything immoral? I absolutely did not.”

Asked about telephone calls Mr Hart made to Ms Rice, he said they dealt with her offer to help his presidential campaign, especially by contacting friends in the entertainment industry. The first poll of voters since the affair erupted showed that Mr Hart’s presidential hopes had been damaged, losing 10 percentage points, although he was still the leading Democrat.

A.B.C. television said a poll conducted Monday shows that Mr Hart was still the top choice of 36 per cent of Democrats, compared with 12 per

cent who support the black activist, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and 9 per cent who favour the Massachusetts Governor, Michael Dukakis.

In a survey taken on March 9, Mr Hart was the top choice of 46 per cent of Democrats to replace President Ronald Reagan next year. In a comparison with Vice-President George Bush, the favourite for the Republican nomination, Mr Hart now leads by a statistically insignificant 45-43 per cent. In January, Mr Hart led Mr Bush by 57-35 per cent; An overwhelming 61 per cent of those polled on Monday said the press should not investigate candidates’ sexual habits, but 53 per cent said they would not vote for a candidate who was having an extramarital affair.