Reform Party Moves Ahead Without Perot As Its Leader

A group that believes there is room for a third political party is moving forward with its agenda minus billionaire Ross Perot as its leader.

About 100 delegates of the National Reform Party, a splinter group of the Perot-formed United We Stand America party, came together from 23 states and met Saturday in this Chicago suburb to figure out how to spread the party’s message state by state and what message should be presented.

“Ross Perot had the right message, but he was the wrong messenger,” said Nelisse Muga, a delegate from San Diego.

The group was founded last year after Perot and some of his supporters were criticized as being quirky and autocratic, refusing to recognize differing ideas and opinions.

Perot is holding a similar conference to build a platform for his group later this month in Kansas City, Mo.

John Miskovic of Carol Stream, Ill., said he hopes voters will choose platforms they respect rather than candidates they know.