NATION : Mondale Says He Will Never Run Again, Likes Private Life Too Much

MINNEAPOLIS — Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale said today he will not enter the 1990 race for a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota and will never seek any public office again.

“I believe it’s time for other candidates to step forward,” said Mondale, 61, a former senator who was the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in 1984. “It was a very difficult choice for us.”

Mondale, who now practices law in Minneapolis, said he has enjoyed his life out of political office and has seen too many colleagues remain in the Senate for too long. He had been considering running against incumbent Rudy Boschwitz, a Republican.

Mondale, a protege of the late Hubert H. Humphrey, generally has been considered the most formidable candidate Democrats could field against Boschwitz, a two-term senator.

After Mondale’s announcement, a relieved Boschwitz said “Fritz Mondale clearly would have been the toughest competitor I could have had. I certainly have a sense of relief that he will not run.”