Possible Reform Party Congressional Candidates?

Bear with me here:
Say after the 1992 election OTL, Ross Perot goes on to found the Reform Party. In OTL, he was at first not inclined to run for the party's nomination. Now, sorry for the blatant copying here, but let's say events go similar to the events of the "Chaos: The Election of 1996" TL: Colin Powell's wife dies, which leads him to jump in the race as independent. He has much in common with Perot politically: fiscally conservative and socially liberal, even if they do have disagreements on specifics.

Powell does well enough in the race that the election has to go to the House of Representatives, which of course means Dole or whoever the Republican is that year wins.

The Reform Party switches gears: they decide to focus their efforts in 1998 on electing as many people to the House and Senate as possible, in the hopes of having a better position in a future hung election. After all, in OTL they got Jesse Ventura into the Governor's Mansion in Minnesota.

Who would be viable Reform Party candidates? John Hagelin as a Senator from Iowa? Donald Trump as Governor of New York? Who would join the ranks of TTL's Reform Party as candidates?
 
I don't really understand what the Reform Party stood for.

Well, it was an interesting beast. Their essential point was that the current system is too corrupt, and that there needs to be a viable alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. Beyond that, they've nominated people as far right as Pat Buchanan and as far left as Ralph Nader.

This scenario imagines that Ross Perot's fiscally conservative yet socially moderate-to-liberal leanings are reinforced by a highly successful Powell run in '96. Also, think people like Jesse Ventura (elected Governor of Minnesota) and Donald Trump (sought the party's nomination in 2000). I also imagined John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party would have a better chance getting elected, say, Senator from Iowa ITTL.

Think politicians along those lines.
 
Okay, so basically it's centrism in the libertarian mode. So something that could reach out to the moderate Schwarzeneggers, Giulianis, and Bloombergs of the world?
 
Angus King, an independent was Governor of Maine during the 1990's. Considering that Perot polled quite highly (one of his strongest state performances) in Maine in 1992, perhaps had a few more votes gone Perot's way King might have run for Congress under the Reform banner.
Also Jim Trafficant, an infamous rust-belt Democrat from Ohio could have simply joined the Reform party. Actually, in view of his anti-Nafta stance, he was very much of a piece with Perot.
 
Angus King, an independent was Governor of Maine during the 1990's. Considering that Perot polled quite highly (one of his strongest state performances) in Maine in 1992, perhaps had a few more votes gone Perot's way King might have run for Congress under the Reform banner.
Also Jim Trafficant, an infamous rust-belt Democrat from Ohio could have simply joined the Reform party. Actually, in view of his anti-Nafta stance, he was very much of a piece with Perot.

King sounds good. Huh, you really think Trafficant would be good in the Reform Party?
 
A good fit, though probably not very beneficial. The most helpful role for Perot would be to retire from campaigning post 1992 and become party chair/treasurer. The Texas Instruments windfall should suffice to elect RP candidates in several marginal districts. But as others have noted the RP would have to develop the rudiments of a platform rather than relying on OTL's assorted issues and candidates unclaimed by either major party. Anti-Nafta was a start (I was a kid in '92 and it's the only stand I recall Perot taking) . Perhaps opposition to free trade could be fleshed out into calling for "an America that lives within its means", i.e. balanced budgets and no/reduced trade deficit. Tax the rich style populism would likely be a bit outré for right leaning supporters, but measures against (to appropriate a quip from John Kerry) "Benedict Arnold corporations" might pass muster.
 
I'm planning a President Perot TL and I'm currently making the congressional lists from 1992 to 2012. The actual policies of Perot tend to be somewhat of a conservative Democrat/moderate Republican, so I think the alternate Reform Party would try to be a big tent party, opposed to bipartism and trying to reinforce bipartisanship.

First, the conservative Democrats (among them, the ones who joined the Republicans in 1994, that is Richard Shelby of Alabama and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado), and the moderate Republicans (John McCain? Arlen Specter?Charlie Crist? Olympia Snowe? Susan Collins? Lincoln Chafee?) would swith their party allegiance after being disatisfied with their current parties' policies.

I have been browsing some ideas of candidats:
-Pete Ueberroth: organizer of the 1984 Olympic Games and supervisor of the reconstruction works in Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots, he was considered for some time as a possible running mate to Perot.
-Bernadine Healy: head of the National Institute of Health, she ran for Senator of Ohio in the Republican primary in 1994, and Perot proposed her to be his running mate, but she refused.
-Brian Moore: OTL 2008 presidential candidate for the Socialist Party, he was a Perot volunteer in 1992 and he ran for Florida's 5th Congressional district.
-Warren Beatty: considered for some time running for President in the Reform Party in 2000.
-Joe Lieberman: being an independant in Congress, distancied from the Dems, he would join Perot' side easily. Wonder if the Vermont Progressives (Howard Dean, Bernie Sanders) would go for Perot too?
-Wes Watkins: Independant candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 1994, he was later Republican congressman for the state.
-Sam Waterston: the actor is head of Unity' 08, a bipartisan organization opposed to the current two-party system. He's from Massachusetts.
-Joseph Patrick Kennedy II: from DudeAlmighty's TL, I could imagine the congressman from Massachusetts would try a political comeback as a Perot ally.
-David Boren and Dan Boren: the first, after he left the Senate, was considered for some time as a running mate for Perot in 1996, the other is his son.
-Oscar Goodman: OTL Mayor of Las Vegas as an independant, he could well run for higher office.
-L. Neil Smith: the libertarian author of science fiction finds broad support in a third party.
-Al Sharpton: the reverend was already a perennial candidate in New York, so he could join the new party.
-Jon Stewart: he claims that he can't identify with none of the two current parties.
-Ron Paul?
 
Both the Dems and GOP are basically centrist moderate expressions of liberalism and conservatism (American styled, of course). Their third party equivalents are the Greens and the Constitution Party, respectively. I suppose if the Reform Party became more of a movement, it could be the centrist moderate expression for libertarianism, or at least the libertarian configuration (socially liberal, fiscally conservative), with the LP as their third party equivalent who believes that they don't go far enough. Could grab the Rockefeller Republican types. Also look into the failed Unity 08 campaign- that's why I mentioned Bloomberg.

How did Pat Buchanan stowaway his way to the Reform Party, anyways? What did he stand for? I kind of wonder why he didn't join the Constitution Party.
 

Jasen777

Donor
How did Pat Buchanan stowaway his way to the Reform Party, anyways? What did he stand for? I kind of wonder why he didn't join the Constitution Party.

The Reform Party was basically dead by then. Buchaan fought Hagelin for the corpse of the party because it qualified for federal funds due to its showing in the previous election.
 
The Reform Party was basically dead by then. Buchaan fought Hagelin for the corpse of the party because it qualified for federal funds due to its showing in the previous election.

Oh, you don't mind me using your Colin Powell scenario for the purposes of this thread, right?:eek:
 

Jasen777

Donor
Oh, you don't mind me using your Colin Powell scenario for the purposes of this thread, right?:eek:

I don't have any problem with it.

My timeline was a bit of a best case scenario for an independent candidate. Powell in '96 was the right man (popular military hero) at the right time (Perot's '92 run potential adds legitimacy to a 3rd major figure in a presidential race). Part of that was getting Perot out of the way and later having him endorse Powell, which I thought would be doable if he held a grudge against the major parties, but it's quite debatable if he would do so. The major differences between Powell and Perot on trade issues could make it impossible for Powell to be an actual Reform Party candidate in '96.

It will be very difficult for the Reform Party to form a truly national competitive party. The party was basically Perot's vehicle for his presidential runs and largely depended on his money and star power. In American history the rise of a new major party has only been accomplished by destroying one of the two existing ones (Republicans displacing the Whigs) or by filling a vacuum (Whigs appearing when the Democratic-Republicans had no rival after the Federalist collapse). But a scenario where the Reform Party could enjoy the success level of the People's Party (Populist) did would be interesting, and their best case scenario, imo.
 
I'm planning a President Perot TL and I'm currently making the congressional lists from 1992 to 2012. The actual policies of Perot tend to be somewhat of a conservative Democrat/moderate Republican, so I think the alternate Reform Party would try to be a big tent party, opposed to bipartism and trying to reinforce bipartisanship.

First, the conservative Democrats (among them, the ones who joined the Republicans in 1994, that is Richard Shelby of Alabama and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado), and the moderate Republicans (John McCain? Arlen Specter?Charlie Crist? Olympia Snowe? Susan Collins? Lincoln Chafee?) would swith their party allegiance after being disatisfied with their current parties' policies.

I have been browsing some ideas of candidats:
-Pete Ueberroth: organizer of the 1984 Olympic Games and supervisor of the reconstruction works in Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots, he was considered for some time as a possible running mate to Perot.
-Bernadine Healy: head of the National Institute of Health, she ran for Senator of Ohio in the Republican primary in 1994, and Perot proposed her to be his running mate, but she refused.
-Brian Moore: OTL 2008 presidential candidate for the Socialist Party, he was a Perot volunteer in 1992 and he ran for Florida's 5th Congressional district.
-Warren Beatty: considered for some time running for President in the Reform Party in 2000.
-Joe Lieberman: being an independant in Congress, distancied from the Dems, he would join Perot' side easily. Wonder if the Vermont Progressives (Howard Dean, Bernie Sanders) would go for Perot too?
-Wes Watkins: Independant candidate for Governor of Oklahoma in 1994, he was later Republican congressman for the state.
-Sam Waterston: the actor is head of Unity' 08, a bipartisan organization opposed to the current two-party system. He's from Massachusetts.
-Joseph Patrick Kennedy II: from DudeAlmighty's TL, I could imagine the congressman from Massachusetts would try a political comeback as a Perot ally.
-David Boren and Dan Boren: the first, after he left the Senate, was considered for some time as a running mate for Perot in 1996, the other is his son.
-Oscar Goodman: OTL Mayor of Las Vegas as an independant, he could well run for higher office.
-L. Neil Smith: the libertarian author of science fiction finds broad support in a third party.
-Al Sharpton: the reverend was already a perennial candidate in New York, so he could join the new party.
-Jon Stewart: he claims that he can't identify with none of the two current parties.
-Ron Paul?

This does not work. You have to consider not just that people in OTL are seen a centrist or switched parties, but also why they are viewed as such, or why their affiliation changed. Shelby is a social conservative. On economic issues, he'd be merely another Southern Democrat hanging on to the New Deal in principle even if he is in favor of reducing the reach of government in some specific areas. That does not make him a prime candidate for Reform Party membership IMO.
 
Give well known (though perhaps not household name level) figures a reason to join the Reform party-make it a banner worth flocking to. The most plausible PoD that occurs to me is to have Perot select a more sensible running mate in '92 and to not drop out mid-campaign. By making a strong (wins 1+ states say?) showing he might then be able to more or less retire, while still supporting the organization financially.
As for broader policy, while potential voters may not vote for a candidate simply because they're RP, if membership is seen as a major plus, that could suffice to get big names to join. The most significant factor in establishing a US third party is winning a sizable base of support rather than having a discrete platform; the Natural Law, Constitution, and Socialist parties all possess the latter not the former.
 
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