SACRAMENTO — Gov. Pete Wilson's presidential campaign announced a high-stakes gamble Monday by closing its operation in Iowa, site of the nation's first presidential caucus, and shifting more of its attention to early primaries in the Northeast.
The governor's aides described the move as cutting-edge presidential strategy in a year when so many states have scheduled early elections that none of the candidates will be able to seriously compete in every contest.
But Wilson's critics quickly seized the chance to say that the governor's campaign must be in trouble if it is unable to muster the resources to compete in one of the nation's most closely watched presidential contests.
Defending the campaign's decision, Wilson campaign manager George Gorton said that "it used to be OK to campaign in [both] Iowa and New Hampshire, but now you've got six weeks for 32 other states."
"Once you make a decision that you can't spend enough time in both, you pick one," Gorton said.
Wilson's rivals saw it differently. "Gov. Wilson's decision to pull out of the Iowa Republican caucus is, in effect, a decision to pull out of the presidential race," former Education Secretary Lamar Alexander said in a statement.
Nelson Warfield, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's presidential campaign, added: "This is a devastating blow for Pete Wilson's campaign. He's the first loser of the Iowa caucuses, and they are still five months away."
Both rivals noted that no candidate has ignored the Iowa caucuses in the last 20 years and gone on to win his party's nomination.
On the other hand, Gorton countered that Iowa also has not picked the Republican nominee in previous caucuses, as evidenced by George Bush's third-place finish in 1988.
Wilson's decision reflects the huge task he faces in trying to boost his campaign into the top tier of contenders. And it indicates that the campaign's strategy is still evolving since Wilson had been scheduled to stop in Iowa on Monday. Just last week he visited the state during his announcement tour.
Wilson's campaign did get off to a late start compared to other candidates. He announced his exploratory committee in March and formally kicked off his bid just two weeks ago. The governor also fell behind on his fund-raising schedule when he lost his voice for two months after throat surgery.
