If Drafted, Perot Says He’d Run

ATLANTA — Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot said he did not want to run for President but would agree to run a grass-roots campaign as an independent candidate if enough ordinary people placed his name on the ballot in all 50 states.

In an interview Thursday on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Perot said: “I’m not asking to be drafted.” But he said he was “touched” by letters in longhand from “everyday folks” urging him to seek the presidency.

Given the wide variety of deadlines and requirements to gain access to general election ballots in 50 states, Perot’s standard for becoming a candidate would be virtually impossible to meet. But “if you (the people) want to register me in 50 states . . . I’ll promise you this: Between now and the convention, we’ll get both parties’ heads straight,” he said.