Sources tell THE WEEKLY STANDARD that Massachusetts Gov. William Weld will announce in the next two weeks a race against Sen. John Kerry in 1996. As a result, Weld will say, he’s resigning his duties as finance chairman of the Pete Wilson for President campaign. This new nail in Wilson’s coffin follows the resignation of his political guru, George Gorton, last week after an internal power struggle amid wide speculation that Wilson’s third-quarter fundraising will show his campaign with a debt of $ 950,000. Wilson may quickly withdraw from the presidential contest, just barely ahead of his fellow Californian, Rep. Robert Dornan, who’ll announce that he chooses instead to run for reelection to Congress. On the other hand, it’s possible Wilson will find it necessary to stay in the race until January, when he qualifies for matching funds funds he can use to help cope with his debt.
