Ross Perot re-starts campaign

He's back. H. Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire whose independent presidential quasi-campaign had him leading -- improbably -- both Republican George Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton in the polls until he dropped out of contention eleven weeks ago, re-entered the race yesterday afternoon. At a news conference yesterday, Perot, accompanied by his running-mate, Adm. James Bond Stockdale (Ret.), and his wife, Margot, said he was returning to the campaign trail because "neither political party has effectively addressed" the issues. "We gave them a chance -- they didn't do it," Perot said. Bush declined to comment yesterday. "I think my fight is with George Bush," Clinton said. American Civilization Lecturer Frank Luntz, who served as polltaker for Republican presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan, and then for Perot, said that Perot's presence will make the electorate think about the issues and force the candidates to talk about them. "I think it's good for the electorate," Luntz said. "It gets people thinking again." "I think the important factor in his re-entry is that the debate will focus on economic issues, and in that way, the American people win," he said. Luntz said he thinks that Clinton will still win the election, but Perot's candidacy will make it much closer. "If I were a betting man, I'd still bet on Clinton," Luntz said. "But his election win is much less assured tonight." Political Science Professor Henry Teune said that he was unsure of the effect Perot would have on the election. "The whole thing was volatile before, and it's even more volatile now," Teune said. "He was taking votes away from Bush, and he was taking votes away from Clinton. All the polls they did before, they'll have to do again." "Both Clinton's support is very soft and Bush's support is very soft," he added. "Perot will get a pro-Perot vote and a protest vote, but I don't know what that is." Teune said that the polls were largely unreliable. "The polls aren't very good and they're even worse when you have three candidates," he said. As to whether Perot will have a major impact on Election Day, Teune replied "if I knew, I'd be rich." Student reaction on campus was mixed. College senior Jefrey Pollock, who worked as an analyst for the Perot petition committee during the summer, said he didn't know why Perot was back in the race. "I think that Mr. Perot has his reasons for getting back in, but I'm not sure what they are," Pollock said. "If he is getting back in the race in order to steer the debate back to the American economy, then he is doing a service for the country." "Otherwise, he is just a nuisance on the political scene," he said. Pollock said he was angry when he saw Perot on the news yesterday. "I don't think he belongs back in the race," he said. "He hurt me once and he hurt a lot of the American people and I don't think he has the right to do that again. A simple apology doesn't make up for the way he pulled out." Scott Sher, a Wharton and College junior who is the co-president of the College Democrats, said he was disgusted by Perot's announcement. "I think it's a travesty," Sher said. "I think it's disgusting." "I think that any American who votes for Ross Perot has been duped," he said. "He doesn't stand for anything, and he has no mandate to run for president . . . I, at least hope that the general public will be smart enough to see through a very shallow candidate in Ross Perot." College Republican chairman Dana Lynch, although not a Perot fan, said he thought Perot would help Bush in the election by drawing votes away from the front-running Clinton in key states. "I think Mr. Perot's re-entry into the race symbolizes his egomania, and will help President Bush in several states where Clinton had the higher rating in the polls, such as California and some of the midwestern states," the College junior said. "I think this makes it a more viable race . . . it will help my candidate." But whatever happens, pollster Luntz predicted the rest of the race will not be dull. "It's going to be a great final month, very entertaining and very enlightening," Luntz said. "I hope students realize they're living through one of the most interesting elections in the last thirty years." Daily Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Dwayne Sye and the Associated Press contributed to this story.