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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Hatch: Re-evaluating Options
Salt Lake Tribune 25Jan00 N2
By John Heilprin: Salt Lake Tribune
DES MOINES, IOWA -- Utah Senator and Presidential Candidate Orrin
Hatch, a member of the LDS Church, plans to hold a news conference
today in Washington D.C., where he returned following a poor showing
in the Iowa presidential caucuses last night. Hatch received 1
percent of the vote, fewer than 900 votes, in the caucuses.
Before he left Iowa Monday night, Hatch told reporters that he
planned to continue on to New Hampshire, "We're planning on going up
to New Hampshire. I hope we can continue to go forward. And if we
can, that'd be great. If we can't, well, I won't be the first one who
filed too late and wasn't able to get it done," Hatch told reporters
late Monday afternoon before the votes were counted. But Heilprin of
the Salt Lake Tribune speculates that Hatch may have a change of
heart and drop out of the race at today's news conference.
Reporters questions to Hatch focused on whether or not he was
discouraged that his campaign hadn't taken off, "I don't get
discouraged. I just keep going. Right now I intend to keep moving on,
keep plodding on," he replied. "It would have been easier had I filed
a lot earlier and had two or three years behind me, I wouldn't be
having quite as difficult a time as I'm having right now."
Hatch was the only one of the five Republican candidates
participating in the Iowa caucuses not to hold a party Monday night
to announce the results of the caucuses. Instead, Hatch traveled back
to Washington, and his staff had little comment on the results. But
his national political director, Jim Camp did say, "Nothing has
changed," when asked about Hatch's plans for New Hampshire.
Hatch has focused his resources on the three initial states where
caucuses and primaries are held, Alaska, Iowa and New Hampshire. How
he fared in last night's Alaska caucuses, considered much less
important, is not yet known. Hatch has had strong showings in Alabama
and Wyoming, where few others have campaigned.
Much of Hatch's strategy has hinged on being the GOP alternative if
Texas Gov. George W. Bush stumbles. However, that hasn't happened.
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