TSONGAS SAYS NO

Paul Tsongas made it official - for the second time. He reaffirmed his decision to drop out of the Democratic presidential campaign.

Although he suspended his campaign on March 19, Mr. Tsongas remained on the ballot and surprised everyone, including himself, by finishing a strong second in the New York primary. Tsongas immediately huddled with friends to decide whether he should renew his challenge to Bill Clinton. But on yesterday, Tsongas decided his chances of gaining the nomination were too slim.

"We did very well" in New York, he told supporters. "But so did Bill Clinton."

If Tsongas returned to full-time campaigning, his only function would be as a "spoiler" to stop Governor Clinton, he concluded, adding: "I reject that role."

Money, momentum, and delegate totals were all stacked against Tsongas. His campaign is $500,000 in debt, and Clinton already has more than twice as many convention delegates.