(18 Aug 1996) English/Nat
Texas billionaire Ross Perot is the new Reform Party's first ever presidential candidate.
Perot beat back challenger Richard Lamm with 65 percent of the vote.
This assures Perot a ballot spot in the November election in 40 states. He garnered 19 percent of the vote in the 1992 presidential race as a third party candidate.
Perot is expected to accept the nomination Sunday night at the Reform Party's convention in suburban Philadelphia.
Ross Perot will be on the ballot again as a third party candidate for president. Perot is the Reform Party's first ever candidate, stopping a challenge from former Colorado governor Richard Lamm.
Only about 4.3 percent of the 1.13 million eligible reform party members cast valid ballots in the selection of Perot.
The Texas billionaire spent millions building the new third party, which is on ballots in some form in 40 states.
SOUNDBITE: "Do you want a government that comes at you from Washington or do you want a government that comes from you? From. Who do the people in Washington work for? Us. Who pays their salaries? We. I want to be your President."
SUPER CAPTION: Ross Perot, Reform Party Nominee for President.
This is not Perot's first run for the presidency. In 1992, he ran as an independent, garnering 19 percent of the popular vote. Perot will be facing an uphill battle.
A poll Newsweek conducted this week as the Republican National Convention came to a close had Bob Dole and President Clinton statistically tied. Clinton had 44 percent support, Dole received 42 percent and the candidate nominated by Perot's Reform Party received only 3 percent.
SOUNDBITE: " In the 1950's ninety percent of the goods that we bought in this country were made in the good old U-S-A. That number has dropped to only fifty per cent of the goods that we buy here in the U-S-A are made in the U-S-A and they will continue to drop as long as we have these stupid one sided trade deals"
SUPER CAPTION: Ross Perot, Reform Party Nominee for President
His opponent Richard Lamm, a former Colorado governor, knew he would have
difficulty winning against the Texas billionaire, who has bankrolled the fledgling party.
Lamm had given himself a one-in-three chance of beating Perot, and complained that he was put at a disadvantage throughout the primary.
He said that in the voting process, some voters did not receive ballots while others received multiple ballots - raising questions about the validity of the results.
But he supports the reform movement.
SOUNDBITE:
"The Reform Party is larger than any one individual. It represents the hopes and commitments of people from all walks of life and all political persuasions. As a person who has made a career in asking tough questions, both inside and outside of government, I believe that I have what it takes to take this party to the next level of achievement."
SUPER CAPTION: Richard Lamm, Reform Party presidential hopeful and former Democratic governor of Colorado
The Reform Party named its candidate three days after the Republicans nominated Bob Dole at a traditional political convention in San Diego. The Democrats will convene in Chicago Aug. 26 to nominate President Clinton for a second term.
Lamm arrived at Valley Forge hours before the results were to be made public. Perot planned to arrive Sunday in time for a rally, at which the nominee was to give his acceptance speech. About 1,500 members of the new-born third party traveled to the historic area to hear the announcement of the group's first-ever presidential
candidate.
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