Ross Perot Tells Larry King Live He Will Run if Volunteers Put Him on All 50 Ballots
Event Reviewed Automatically reviewed for factual accuracy, tone, and neutrality. Review does not check claims against cited sources. Last reviewed 23 October 2026.Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live on February 20, 1992, Texas businessman Ross Perot said he would run for president as an independent if volunteers got his name on the ballot in all 50 states, prompting petition drives across the country.
A cable call-in show launches a volunteer-driven independent presidential campaign.
Perot made the offer as a guest on Larry King Live rather than at a press conference or campaign event. Thousands of calls of support reached his office over the following week, and volunteers organized petition drives to meet each state’s ballot-access requirements. He qualified in Arizona, the last of the 50 states, on September 18, 1992.
Perot withdrew from the race in mid-July and announced on October 1 that he was re-entering it. In November he received about 19 percent of the popular vote, the highest share for a third-party or independent candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
Sources
- 01.
Bseiso, F. (2019). 4 moments on CNN that helped shape Ross Perot's political path. WRAL (via CNN). Source that on February 20, 1992, Perot told CNN's Larry King he would enter the 1992 presidential race if there were enough signatures to put his name on all 50 state ballots, and that he qualified for the Arizona ballot on September 18, 1992, completing the effort.
- 02.
EBSCO Research Starters. Perot Mounts a Third-Party Bid for the U.S. Presidency. (2021). Source for the date and the offer on Larry King Live; that thousands of calls of support reached Perot's office over the following week; that he withdrew in mid-July, announced his re-entry on October 1, 1992, and received about 19 percent of the vote.
- 03.
McGee, S. (2020). How Billionaire Ross Perot Brought Populism Back to Presidential Politics. Source that Perot announced his candidacy on Larry King Live rather than at a press conference, conditioned on volunteers in all 50 states gathering enough signatures, and that his 19 percent of the November vote was the highest for a third-party or independent candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
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