Perot Announces He Will Run If Nominated

Ross Perot, who repeatedly said his fledgling Reform Party was “not about me,” said Wednesday he will run for president if nominated by the party.

“If the people want me to (run), certainly,” he told CNN’s Larry King. “I think it’s pretty obvious now I am dedicated to this country.”

Perot did not say whether he will actively seek the nomination, but he said he will accept it if members of the newly created party choose him at their August convention.

A Perot candidacy could set up a battle with former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm, who said Tuesday that he wants to run on the Reform Party ticket.

A lifelong Democrat, Lamm has not held political office since 1986, when he left the statehouse after three terms. In declaring his candidacy, he said he would run no matter what Perot does.

Lamm said then that he didn’t know what Perot’s intentions were.

“He’s a good poker player,” he said. “Hell, he’s free to run.”

As Perot has built the Reform Party in the wake of his 1992 presidential run, he has repeatedly said that the party and its principles are bigger than he is.

“This is not about me,” he said repeatedly when asked if he would run.

Asked what he thought about Lamm, Perot said, “He’s a fine man. We’re delighted he’s on the ballot.”

He added that he wants to be supportive of him “in every possible way” and make sure he gets maximum public exposure.

But he said, as he did in 1992, he will respond if his supporters want him on the ballot.

“If they feel I am the person they want to do this job then certainly I will give them everything I have to get it done,” he said.

Perot has frequently used “Larry King Live” to announce his intentions. In 1992, he told King he would run for president if people in all 50 states got his name on the ballot. Last year, he declared his plans to build a third party on the show.

Perot said he wants to run again to be sure his generation is not the first to leave the next generation a weaker nation.