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As we all know, billionaire Ross Perot, who seriously contested in 1992 United States presidential election as an independent, attempted to repeat his success in 1996. He even formed a new party, the Reform Party, around his candidacy that year. However, he didn't make as much of a splash that year, getting less than 10% of the vote.

But what if he decided to run for the nomination of the Republican Party?

Say sometime between the two elections, he becomes convinced that his political career- and therefore, his political goals- won't get very far unless he throws himself behind one of the major. Sure, he may ultimately dislike the two-party system in America, but he figures that in the short term he'd better choose between one of the lesser of two evils. And for a variety of factors, from the fact that challenging incumbent President Clinton in his own party would be a tall order, to the reality that he is a bit closer to the GOP, all issues considered, he decides to go with the Republicans. So, in early 1995, he announces his intentions to seek the nomination of the Republican Party for the 1996 presidential race.

How far can he get in the primaries? He still has the spoiler stigma from 1992 (perhaps not quite as bad as Nader did after 2000, but it's still there), but he's got the money to back himself up, a relatively empty primary field, and Bob Dole would be his biggest competition (and nobody was really excited for Dole). Perhaps he steals from the anti-NAFTA part of Buchanan's base, while consolidating the moderate-to-liberal Republican vote?

Assuming he becomes the Republican nominee, what then? Who does he pick for his running mate? I assume it would need to be a conservative to balance Perot's relatively liberal positions on abortion and gay rights. How does the general election go?

And finally, should the star all align and Perot actually win... well, what next?

(No matter what happens in this scenario, one thing's for certain: in the absence of the Reform Party, Jesse Ventura probably becomes Governor of Minnesota in 1998 on the Libertarian Party line.)
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