Ross Perot runs in the democratic primary

Can he seize the nomination?

  • Sure he can!

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • No way man!

    Votes: 17 70.8%
  • Maybe, it will be close.

    Votes: 5 20.8%

  • Total voters
    24
What if Ross Perot took his supporters and tried to do a hostile takeover of the democratic party instead of running as an independent? He got 19,743,821 votes in the General Election. By comparison, Bill Clinton got 10,482,411 votes in the primary. Normally, primary votes and general election votes are not comparable, but it is a bit different in Perot's case because of being independent. Would many democrats have gone for him in the primary?

Would republicans have crossed over, figuring Bush would have won the primary anyway? Would republicans have gone over to him thinking he would lose the general? There is also the fact that many people figured that voting 3rd party was "throwing your vote away", but that doesn't exist as much for primaries, especially with Bush running unopposed as the incumbent.

It isn't all rosy for Perot's primary chances of course, as many democrats will be voting for "anyone but Perot" to keep him from "hijacking our party", but Bill Clinton did run as a new democrat, which kind of took the party in a new direction anyway.

Note: This is not a thread to analyze the ramifications of a Ross Perot presidency, whether for the democratic party or the country as a whole, just if he could have made it to the primary win, then oval office.
Anyway, those are my thoughts, anyone have an answer?
 
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I think Perot might have been a bit too conservative for the Democrats.

He would potentially also take votes away from Jerry Brown which would only help Clinton.
 
Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh..........uhh you kinda need black voters to win a Dem primary and that Southern accent was a bit too thick........

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4568314/ross-perot-people

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The leadership of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People gave independent presidential candidate Ross Perot a decidedly chilly reception Saturday.

Perot, in his first foray before a black audience, appeared to offend a large number of delegates to the NAACP national convention here by seeming to equate the nation's crime and drug problems with the black community.

The Texan delivered his standard stump speech emphasizing the need to rebuild the nation's economy and job base and urging all Americans to work together toward that goal. But in attempting to tailor the address to a black audience, Perot took what many in the audience considered a number of insensitive missteps.

In discussing inner-city crime and drug use, Perot on several occasions used the expression "you people" or "your people" to describe the offenders and the victims.

He also told stories about his father's treatment of black employees and his mother's charity toward black hobos that some considered patronizing.

giphy.gif
 
I think Perot might have been a bit too conservative for the Democrats.

He would potentially also take votes away from Jerry Brown which would only help Clinton.

Good point, but the question is, did many of Jerry Brown's primary voters go for Perot in the general, or would they be additions on top of the ones he got OTL? Not being sarcastic or critical, it is a serious question. Also wondering what percentage of the people backing him in the general election would have gone to the primary. I am assuming that if you are enthusiastic to vote third party in a general election, you would be willing to go in the primary, but I am not sure for all of them, not to mention registering as a democrat.

Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhh..........uhh you kinda need black voters to win a Dem primary and that Southern accent was a bit too thick........

...

He also told stories about his father's treatment of black employees and his mother's charity toward black hobos that some considered patronizing.

giphy.gif

Good point there. Would the damage done through stuff like this be enough to offset the benefits of bringing his OTL support into the equation? Would they unite against him and go for "anybody but Perot", or just not vote for him?
 
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