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?
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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