News In Brief

Hart takes Wyoming in fourth straight win

Gary Hart won Wyoming's Democratic presidential caucuses Saturday, beating Walter Mondale for the fourth straight time in the first test of voter sentiment in the West.

With 23 county caucuses completed, Hart had 2,130 votes, or 61 percent, while Mondale had 1,266 votes, or 36 percent. Three percent of the 3,507 votes cast were uncommitted. No other candidate received enough votes to be considered in the final straw poll taken at each caucus. The outcome is expected to change, but by no more than a dozen votes, when the last county reports.

The vote totals are expected to give Hart eight national convention delegates and Mondale four, state Democratic chairman Dave Freudenthal said. Three remaining delegates are the automatic selection of state party leaders and were not up for grabs.