Republican Candidate Robinson Withdraws From Massachusetts Gubernatorial Contest

The field of contenders for the Republican gubernatorial nomination narrowed to four late last week, when Rep. William G. Robinson, House minority leader, dropped from the race.

Robinson, who was soundly defeated at the state pre-primary/Republican convention earlier this month, announced Thursday morning that he will not carry his candidacy to the September 14 primary, choosing instead to run for-election in the House and try again for his leadership post.

Refusing to give a "post-mortem" on his campaign, he instead stressed his upcoming work on the "Better Budget" and alternative budget to Gov. Edward J. King's.

One Republican observer predicted yesterday that Robinson's move will do the most harm to John R. Lakian, the Westwood businessman who got the convention's non-binding endorsement. The largest the field, the better it is for Lakian, because more candidates would split the vote.

Another candidate, Hose minority whip. Andrew H. Card, Jr., said yesterday that Robinson helped the campaign focus on issues and called his departure "unfortunate."

The other two candidates in the race are now former Boston City Councilor John W. Sears '52 and former Metropolitan District Commissioner Guy Carbone.