Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey dropped out of the Democratic presidential race Thursday after a string of setbacks, telling a roomful of cheering supporters and Senate colleagues, "we ran out of gas."
In a good-natured news conference, Kerrey said he was bowing out "with regret but with great pride . . . this is no retreat and this is no surrender."Kerrey's announcement left four major contenders still standing as the Democratic race heads into crucial primaries in the South and industrial states over the next two weeks.
They include: Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and former California Gov. Jerry Brown.
Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder ran briefly but folded his campaign before the first ballots were cast.
In his valedictory address, Kerrey offered a reprise of the themes he stressed in his campaign: "American leaders need to wake up," he said, and recognize the need to treat children better, to provide national health insurance and address other concerns.
Kerrey was flying home to Nebraska later in the day for a campaign-style rally meant to bolster his standing in his home state, where his Senate term expires in 1994.
On paper, Kerrey was an attractive candidate, a wounded Vietnam veteran, a popular former governor of Nebraska serving his first Senate term. He launched his quest for the White House saying he wanted to become the leader for a new generation of Americans and made national health insurance the centerpiece of his campaign.
But except for a victory in South Dakota's primary on Feb. 25, he fizzled everywhere. He came in a weak third in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary and came away from last Tuesday's eight primaries and caucuses in debt and without a single victory.
Kerrey gave way in good humor - joking that he could remain in the Senate, but a Nebraska newspaper reporter who covered him would have to go home and "cover county commissioners now."
"After Tuesday I felt like the Jamaican bobsled team," he quipped. "We had a lot of spirit but unfortunately we didn't get a lot of medals."
He made clear he is ready to resume the political wars in the Senate.
He endorsed none of his erstwhile Democratic rivals but said President Bush is "the only unelectable candidate." That seemed a bouquet tossed in the direction of Clinton. Kerrey said last week in Georgia that Clinton's Vietnam era draft difficulties would make him ripe as a "soft peanut" for Bush in the fall.
"While we had plenty of potential and plenty of enthusiasm, unfortunately we do not have plenty of money," he said.