MANCHESTER, N.H.—Former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska had a tough primary day in New Hampshire, getting more help from doctors than voters.
He spent Tuesday morning undergoing tests at a hospital for what turned out to be a respiratory infection, and then spent the evening watching election returns that showed him barely visible.
"I'm trying to make a dent, trying to beat (Bill) Richardson and (Dennis) Kucinich," he said of two rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. But with more than half the returns in, he was a distant sixth among active candidates, with a fraction of 1 percent, well behind the New Mexico governor and Ohio congressman.
Gravel, 77, who served two Senate terms and live in Arlington, Va., said he will take time off from campaigning at doctors' recommendations to get well.
"I need to get healthy," he said. "There's no sense running myself into the ground."
Gravel wants to empower voters through means including letting them initiate federal legislation.
