Perot Will Be Listed on Ballot in California

Ross Perot will be listed as a presidential candidate on the California ballot despite his withdrawal from the race, California Secretary of State March Fong Eu said Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Eu said Perot fulfilled state requirements for getting on the ballot by submitting a signed statement that he is “a candidate” in the Nov. 3 election. Eu accepted the document “at face value” even though Perot declared on July 16 that he was quitting the race, the spokeswoman said.

Perot volunteers in California collected more than 1.4 million voter signatures--more than 10 times the legal minimum--to qualify him for the ballot as an independent presidential candidate.

The Texas billionaire shocked and disappointed his legions of supporters nationwide when he dropped out of the race, saying that a newly revitalized Democratic Party precluded any chances of his winning the White House.

Perot told Eu in a letter Wednesday that “in compliance with the wishes of the volunteers who submitted over 1 million signatures to achieve ballot access, I am a candidate and hereby request that my name be placed on the November, 1992, California ballot.”

Perot said his “running mate” is retired Vice Adm. James Stockdale, a former Navy combat pilot decorated for heroism as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Jack Brodbeck, a former spokesman for Perot’s California campaign, said that Perot’s withdrawal notwithstanding, the Texan is seeking to get on the ballot in all 50 states so “he can jump back in at any time” to the presidential race.

“If neither of the major parties can address the issues, I think you’ll see Perot back in the race,” said Brodbeck, citing economic problems, such as the national debt and federal budget deficit.

“And I don’t think there’s a chance in hell they want to address the issues,” he said.

Spokesmen for the Bush and Clinton campaigns said Perot’s presence on the ballot will do little or no damage to them in California, predicting that Perot backers will vote for one of the major party nominees rather than a non-candidate.

“Traditionally, voters don’t throw away their votes on an office as important as the presidency,” said Martin Wilson, Bush’s California campaign manager.