President Bush's campaign team recognizes that he could be in danger of losing the November election to Ross Perot, the campaign's top strategist acknowledged Saturday.
"We realize we could lose the election," Charles Black, the campaign's senior political adviser, said on CNN's "Evans and Novak" program. "We realize the Perot phenomenon is a deadly serious matter."The statement appeared to be the most pessimistic of its kind in public by a senior Bush campaign official, although it reflects what the majority of public opinion polls have shown for weeks.
In most polls, Bush is trailing Perot. Black indicated the Bush campaign was far less concerned by Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who is generally behind in the polls.
Black warned Republican candidates as well as consultants against defecting and supporting Perot.
"If they want the support of the Republican organization, they ought to be loyal to the party and they should be punished if they support Ross Perot," he said.