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Republican presidential
candidate Pat Buchanan,
left, met with Minnesota
Gov. Jesse Ventura on
June 16.
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THE REFORM PARTY offers Buchanan not only a new home for his populist brand of politics, but would also provide him with $12.6 million in federal money for a general election campaign. Ross Perot captured more than 5 percent of the vote in 1996, making the Reform Party eligible for matching funds in 2000.
“An overwhelming amount of our supporters think we should go third party,” said Bay Buchanan, the sister of Pat Buchanan and one of his top advisers. “But this is Pat’s decision, and right now he is focused on winning the Republican Party nomination and beating George W. Bush.”
Bay Buchanan would not rule out the possibility of her brother running on a third-party ticket if he fails to capture the GOP nomination.
“This is a decision that would have to be made much earlier. It is a lot more complicated than making a quick decision,” she said in an interview. “I would have to study this a lot more if we were to get serious about it.”
ADVICE FROM GOP CONSULTANTS
‘It would make Republicans nervous since they like the way the two-way race between Bush and [Vice President Al] Gore is shaping up.’ - STUART ROTHENBERG
Editor, Rothenberg Political Report
Bay Buchanan said she has been passing along to her brother advice from Republican consultants Lyn Nofziger and Roger Stone, who think he may have his best shot at the White House by running as a Reform Party candidate.
Earlier this month, Pat Buchanan met with Ventura, Minnesota’s flamboyant governor, to talk about presidential politics. Ventura, a former wrestler, stunned the country in 1998 after becoming the first Reform Party candidate to win a statewide office.
After Buchanan and Ventura posed for a picture on the front steps of the state Capitol, Buchanan praised Ventura as a potent adversary to the Republican-Democratic “dismal duopoly” in national politics.
“Clearly, the governor has a great deal of charisma, and that’s not in high supply in the Republican Party if you’ve been watching it lately,” Buchanan said.
The former Nixon aide and political commentator has also lashed out at his party for all but endorsing Texas Gov. George W. Bush as its nominee.
In a fund-raising letter sent to supporters, Buchanan charged that the “Republican Party establishment is attempting to put the fix in and rig the 2000 nomination in favor of its anointed candidate, George W. Bush.”
The coronation of Bush more than eight months before the all-important Iowa and New Hampshire primaries has left advisers to Buchanan and Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., considering third-party presidential bids.
But with Republicans leading in the polls and hopeful about capturing the White House in 2000, any defection by one of their own could hurt the GOP, analysts said.
THIRD PARTY COULD HURT GOP
“It could impact the race negatively for Republicans,” said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report. “It would make Republicans nervous since they like the way the two-way race between Bush and [Vice President Al] Gore is shaping up.”
‘An overwhelming amount of our supporters think we should go third party.’
BAY BUCHANAN
Pat Buchanan's sister and a top adviser
But would Ventura allow Buchanan to run as a Reformist? And would Ross Perot, the multimillionaire who founded the party, want to hold political company with the ultra-conservative Buchanan?
“Ventura would be a major factor if Buchanan wanted to run for their nomination,” said Rothenberg. “A Buchanan candidacy might change the Reform Party.”
For his part, Ventura has said repeatedly that he does not plan to be the Reform Party’s candidate in 2000.
“I stand by what I’ve always said: that I have no intention whatsoever to run for president in the year 2000. None whatsoever.”
But Ventura has said he is working to find a candidate to run for president in 2000 to ensure the Reform Party maintains a place on the national ticket.
And what does Ventura think about Buchanan?
“He makes people think,” Ventura said after their June 16 meeting. “He has strong convictions.”
DIFFERENCES IN PHILOSOPHY
Would Ross Perot, the multimillionaire who founded the party, want to hold political company with the ultra-conservative Buchanan?
While Buchanan and Ventura both have reputations as populist politicians, the two could not be more different in style and philosophy. One has spent most of his adult life inside the Beltway, while the other earned his reputation in a wrestling ring.
Both are champions of the working class, but on social issues, they could not be more far apart. Ventura favors legalizing drugs, supports abortion rights and gay rights; Buchanan does not.
Officially, campaign aides to Buchanan said for now he is concentrating on winning both the Iowa and New Hampshire straw polls this summer. Victories in the two states would once again prove Buchanan is a formidable opponent in the crowded field of Republican contenders. But what if Buchanan doesn’t do well?
“At some stage a third-party bid could be an option,” said one source close to the Buchanan campaign. “But right now, he still thinks he can change the Republican Party.”
