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Reform Party primer
By Rochelle Olson
The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) --
The Reform Party was best known as the party of Texas billionaire founder Ross Perot and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.
Now, it has two new marquee names: former Republican firebrand Pat Buchanan, who on Oct. 25 announced his candidacy for the Reform presidential nomination, and New York developer Donald Trump, who registered for the party but hasn't committed to a White House bid.
Here's a primer on the party that has drawn Buchanan and Trump.
Q: How did the Reform Party start?
A: The party grew out of Perot's 1992 presidential bid and was preceded by his United We Stand, America. The party's first national convention was in 1997.
Q: Who controls the party?
A: The party has four main factions, those headed by Perot, Ventura, 1992 independent presidential candidate Lenora Fulani, and the unaligned.
The current chairman is Russell Verney, a top aide to Perot. Many still believe Perot controls the party through Verney. Perot hasn't spoken about the party publicly since the July national convention.
Incoming Chairman Jack Gargan of Cedar Key, Fla., was elected in July with the support of Ventura and has a plan to shift the power away from Perot.
Q: How does the Reform Party choose its presidential nominee?
A: The Reform Party -- and its presidential candidate -- are assured of being on the ballot in 21 states. Anyone seeking the nomination must petition in the other 29 and Washington, D.C., to gain ballot access.
On July 1, 2000, party leaders will decide which candidates have put a serious effort into the petitioning drive. Those candidates' names will go on the nominating ballot. The ballots will go to party members and those who sign petitions or express interest in the party. The ballots will be counted at the national convention, scheduled for Aug. 10-13 in Long Beach, Calif. To receive the nomination, the winner must receive one vote more than 50 percent.
Q: Is there potential for trouble with open balloting?
A: Gargan thinks so. He wants to change the rules when he takes office Jan. 1. He will seek to limit voting, perhaps to party members and those who sign a candidate's petition. Another coming battleground is the site of the convention. Gargan and other Ventura supporters want it in Minnesota and will seek the change after Gargan takes office.
Q: Why does the Reform Party qualify for federal money?
A: The Reform Party nominee will receive $12.6 million in the 2000 presidential election because Perot received more than 5 percent of the vote as a candidate in 1996.
Q: Will Perot run again?
A: He's not saying. Some believe Perot will step in at the last minute, thwarting the other candidates, much as he did to former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm in 1996. Others point to the public support his former running mate Pat Choate has given to Pat Buchanan.
Q: What does the Reform Party stand for?
A: The party is mostly known for a push for a balanced budget, repayment in full of the federal debt and trade restrictions. The party platform includes a call for electoral, lobbying and campaign finance reforms. It urges "tolerance of the customs, beliefs, and private actions of all persons which do not infringe upon the rights of others."
The party's candidates have tended to be neutral on social issues such as abortion, gay rights and prayer in schools. Some party activists describe it as a party of common sense and describe themselves as radical moderates.
Q: Who are the party's past presidential nominees?
A: Perot was the nominee in 1992, when he received 19 percent of the vote, and in 1996, when he received 8 percent.
Q: Who is the highest elected party official in the country?
A: Ventura is the first and only Reform Party candidate to be elected statewide. He won the Minnesota gubernatorial election in 1998. No members of Congress are Reform Party members.
Q: Will Ventura run for president?
A: He has said repeatedly he doesn't want the job and he wants to keep his promise to Minnesotans to serve out his four-year term.
Q: Where are the party's geographical strengths?
A: Perot did well south and west of Mississippi, but not in the Northeast. The party's organization is strongest in California, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, Texas and Virginia.
Q: What is the American Reform Party?
A: A splinter group of the national party. The group's leader, Ted Muga, said that group would join the national party only with assurances that Buchanan would not receive the party's presidential nomination.
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
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