Perot Wins Reform Party Nomination

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. (AllPolitics, Aug. 17) -- Reform Party founder Ross Perot has won his party's nomination for president, beating challenger Dick Lamm by a two-to-one margin, a party official announced Saturday. (468K WAV sound)

Perot collected 32,145 votes, or 65.2 percent, while former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm claimed 17,121 votes, or 34.8 percent, according to the announcement made by Reform Party Chairman Russ Verney.

Perot, who won 19 percent of the popular presidential vote in 1992, created and funded the Reform Party but was challenged for its nomination this year by Lamm, who argued it was time for "the torch to pass."

Sunday evening, Perot is expected to deliver his acceptance speech before some 2,000 Reform Party members attending the second half of the party's split convention in Valley Forge. He has not yet announced his running mate.

Verney, Perot's national campaign coordinator, says he's unsure who Perot's running mate choice will be: "I have no idea. I can tell you it's not going to be Ed Rollins."

Rollins, Perot's 1992 campaign manager, says the Texas billionaire would not have made a good president in his new book, "Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms."

"His government would have been a managerial disaster," Rollins writes. "He'd have been a little dictator, ruling over a government in chaos."

Recent polls show Perot running a distant third behind President Clinton and Republican nominee Bob Dole.

Low Voter Turnout

Although 1.1 million Reform Party members were eligible to vote during the convention, less than 50,000 cast a ballot by mail, telephone or e-mail, for a turnout of about 4.3 percent.

Verney said he was not disappointed by the turnout. "We believe that 50,000 is a very good number, and we're proud of each and every one of them that took the time to participate in the selection process."

Lamm, who had given himself a one-in-three chance of winning the nomination, said he was saddened by the results but not angry.

"I'm going to stay involved in the Reform Party. You bet I am," he told reporters Saturday night.

Throughout the nomination process, Lamm had complained that he was at a disadvantage, running to lead the party started by his opponent. He said the balloting process was flawed and claimed his workers were refused access to computer records.

The Reform Party is now on ballots in 40 states and expects to be on the ballot in all 50 states by November.

Perot Wins Reform Party Nomination

Low Voter Turnout

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