What Happened in 1992?

On May 17, 1992, national polls showed independent candidate Ross Perot leading President Bush and Governor Clinton.

On July 16, then at 20 percent in the polls, Perot stunned his supporters and quit the race.

On September 9, with Perot out of the race, the CPD's Advisory Committee unanimously concluded that no non-major party candidate then seeking election had a realistic chance of victory.

On October 1, Ross Perot announced that he was reentering the race, and he immediately polled 7 percent nationally.

The Bush campaign was delighted with Perot's return. They no longer believed that Bush could win a plurality of votes, and they wanted Perot in the presidential debates to tip the election in their favor. When Perot had quit the race, Clinton had shot up 14 points whereas Bush had only climbed three points. If Perot was allowed to debate, the Bush campaign reasoned, he could steal more of Clinton's votes again. So, the Bush campaign made President Bush's participation in the presidential debates conditional on Perot's inclusion. Bobby Burchfield, debate negotiator for the Bush campaign, explained what happened next:

We, the Bush campaign, made it a precondition for the debates that Mr. Perot and Admiral Stockdale be included in the debates. Mr. Perot stood at less than 10 percent in every national poll, and few, if any commentators gave him a chance of winning. Under the CPD's criteria for determining whether a non-major party candidate would be included in the debates, it was far from clear that Mr. Perot would qualify. ... Therefore, the Bush campaign insisted and the Clinton campaign agreed, that Mr. Perot and Admiral Stockdale be invited to participate in the debates.

Governor Clinton didn't want Perot included in the presidential debates, but he couldn't oppose Bush's demand without losing public support.

On October 3, Perot received a take-it-or-leave-it invitation from the major party candidates to participate in the presidential debates. Twenty-four hours later, the major-party negotiators submitted a secret 37-page Memorandum of Understanding to the CPD. The document described exactly how the debates would be carried out, covering everything from the length of opening statements to the selection of panelists to the height of the podiums.

The CPD, however, did not want Perot invited to the debates. The CPD was worried that if it simply accepted the demands of the major party candidates without proof of Advisory Committee review, it could lose its tax-exempt status and the right to host future debates. More importantly, CPD directors did not want to promote the growth of any third parties. If Perot was let on stage, future third-party candidates could always point to Perot's 1992 pre-debate poll numbers to justify the inclusion of anybody at 7 percent in the polls. "The commission was worried about the precedent of third-party candidates always being included," said Mickey Kantor, chairman of Clinton's campaign.

On October 5, at the request of the CPD, the Advisory Committee reconvened and recommended that Perot be included in the first debate, but his inclusion in the second and third debates would be subject to further review after that first debate. The CPD adopted the Advisory Committee's recommendation and, for the moment, partially rejected the joint request of the major party candidates.

But it was all a bluff. Under no circumstances would the former party chairmen defy the shared demands of the Republican and Democratic candidates. The Bush and Clinton campaigns rejected the CPD's piecemeal proposal, and accordingly, the CPD caved in. On October 7, the CPD informed the Bush and Clinton campaigns that Perot would be invited to all three presidential debates.

Perot was universally deemed the winner of two presidential debates, and he rapidly climbed from seven percent in pre-debate polls to 19 percent on Election Day -- the largest demonstrable gain for any candidate in the history of presidential debates. Primarily due to his inclusion, 70 million Americans watched the final 1992 presidential debate, the largest debate audience since 1980.

Contrary to widespread media reports and the CPD's propaganda, Perot's inclusion was not reflective of the CPD's professed commitment to the democratic process. Rather, after mounting significant resistance, the CPD was forced to include Perot in order to secure President Bush's participation. "If not for the candidate's agreement that Perot be included in 1992, he wouldn't have been included," said Bobby Burchfield, debate negotiator for Bush.Perot participated in the 1992 presidential debates only because President Bush wanted him there.

Janet Brown, Executive Director of the CPD, said, "We wouldn't have included Perot in if we weren't serious and nonpartisan." But, it's precisely because the CPD is partisan that Perot was included in the first place. Would the CPD have accepted a proposal to exclude Perot? "Sure," said Bob Teeter, Bush's campaign manager, said. "If the candidates agree on a proposal, they would accept it."

Related Links
What Happened in 1988?
What Happened in 1992?
What Happened in 1996?
What Happened in 2000?
What Happened in 2004?
The 15 Percent Barrier