Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: “I guarantee you that I’ll make mistakes,” former Sen. Gary Hart said of his second presidential campaign. “I’m talking about campaign tactical errors, not mistakes on issues.”

Hart, who declined to seek re-election at the end of his second term as U.S. Senator, was returning to the presidential race after having garnered only 1% in the 1984 Democratic primary.

Hart announced his candidacy at the Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver and then addressed members of the media at city hall in the Denver City Council chambers. Hart told the assembled reporters that he felt better prepared for the 1988 election.

“In 1984, we were unprepared for the early win in New Hampshire,” Hart said. He added hat inadequate delegate slates in some states and a lack of campaign funds had hurt him dearly.

“My $1.3 million 1984 campaign debt will be paid off before the 1988 election. It will not be an issue in 1988,” Hart said dramatically and then pointed out that candidates from the 1972 election were still dealing with debt.

“Typically it takes from eight to twelve years to eliminate those obligations,” Hart stated. “I was raised in a family that didn’t believe in owing anyone money; my father and mother always paid cash.”

When questioned about whether his assertion that he would not accept money from political action committees was naïve, Hart countered that his stance did not mean that he was more righteous than any other candidate, only that he felt that PACs were out of control.

Hart took questions on a range of topics including nuclear nonproliferation, disposal of nuclear waste, oil imports, the deficit and agricultural trade problems.

In keeping with current political discourse, Hart said that no serious leader from either political party believed that the budget could be balanced without an additional annual revenue of $18-25 billion.

“I am unalterably opposed to an income tax increase that would affect middle- and low-income Americans,” he said. “I would support an oil tax, excise taxes on luxury goods and a surcharge on upper income citizens.”

Hart ended the press conference by pledging that he would have the strongest grassroots presidential campaign in history and that in order to do so, the process must be open and the campaign above board to encourage voters.

Twenty-Five Years Ago: Gov. Roy Romer announced his unwavering commitment to a strong and consistent welfare reform bill – one which he had not yet seen come forward from the Republican-controlled legislature.

“If we have to have repeated special sessions to get the job done, so be it,” Romer said at a news conference mere hours after the state senate announced a pilot program allowing at least four counties to set their own benefit levels.

Romer declared himself adamantly opposed to any bill that would allow some counties to opt out of statewide benefit standards, promising a veto.

“I will not give in on the pilot project issue,” Romer said. “It’s not the time of my life when I’m going to yank the floor out from what I think are very deserving people to get through a session.”

Romer said he would have vetoed the Republican legislation, Senate Bill 97-1166, that day if it had been on his desk, and decided to announce that imminent decision in “the spirit of compromise” so next steps in negotiations could begin quickly.

“There must be a guaranteed minimum benefit for all counties as a safety net,” Romer said. “Cash allowances are lower than I wanted, but I can live with that.”

The pilot program bill sponsor, Sen. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, said his co-sponsor, House Speaker Chuck Berry, R-Colorado Springs, had originally wanted to give benefit-setting authority to all counties and Berry was, “very resolute about the pilot project.”

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.