The Bow Tie

Michigan's boyish, bow-tied Governor G. (for Gerhard) Mennen Williams, who has been in the statehouse longer than any previous Michigan governor, announced last week that he will seek a fifth two-year term. "Soapy" Williams is obviously serious about running for reelection, but is not likely to let the prospect stand in his way if lightning should strike at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next August. With Michigan's delegates planning to offer their 45-year-old governor as something more than just a favorite-son candidate, Williams has said that he feels "no compelling urge to run for the vice presidency [but] I am not prepared to say I wouldn't accept."

There is a stronger possibility that the G.O.P. may give him some headaches at home. Leading prospect for the Republican nomination for governor is Detroit's Mayor Albert E. (for Eugene) Cobo, 62, who has been elected in nonpartisan contests to seven terms as city treasurer and three as mayor. Cobo's supporters think that the popular mayor, who has always pulled a big vote in Democratic Detroit despite the opposition of Walter Reuther's United Auto Workers, might cut into the heart of Governor Williams' strength.

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