Initial reaction of Ross Perot supporters in Salt Lake City Thursday morning was one of silence and shock, while Utah Republicans saw the announcement as good news and Democrats were disappointed.
At the Potomac Center, 699 E. South Temple, where exterior signs have promoted Ross Perot's campaign for weeks, a Utah campaign organizer said he didn't want to be quoted in the paper about the withdrawal.Several blocks away, the media began camping out on the steps of the Perot campaign headquarters on the corner of 300 South and Main Street. Volunteers had locked the doors, not sure how to react to the cameras and notepad-toting reporters. Other supporters who showed up quickly headed for their cars when they saw cameras.
When they finally opened the doors, Sue Messenger, office staff volunteer at Perot headquarters said she was as surprised as everyone else that Perot pulled out.
"I think we are all disappointed we can't vote for Mr. Perot in November. But if Mr. Perot felt this is not good for the country then it is not," she said.
She said she doesn't feel betrayed by him pulling out, because it has given her an opportunity to get involved in politics. She didn't know whether Utah's Perot supporters would go Republican or Democrat.
Jay Larsen, 38, showed up at the campaign headquarters looking for souvenirs.
"I was driving to the library when I heard the news on the radio. I thought it would be fun to find out if there was any leftover paraphernalia," he said.
Larsen said he had considered supporting Perot but had decided Thursday morning before the Perot announcement to support President Bush's re-election campaign.
Judy Blake, a Springville teacher, had never registered to vote or given a hoot for politics until Perot surfaced as a potential candidate.
Perot caught Blake's attention. She liked what he had to say, especially about the need to create jobs and to start making the best quality products in the world. She admired his willingness to get in and talk with working people, unlike most top executives.
"I liked the way he said `If you don't like where I stand, don't vote for me,' " Blake said. "I'd never heard anybody say that. They're always saying `vote for me.' "
Blake registered to vote. She called Perot's headquarters in Salt Lake City and volunteered to bang on doors for the independent candidate.
"Now that Perot is out, I don't know what I'll do. I don't know if I'll vote," Blake said. "What a disappointment. Maybe he just realizes what a farce (being president is). Who would want that job?"
Perot's withdrawal from the presidential race should help Utah Republican candidates, according to Dave Hanson, state GOP executive director.
However, Hanson said Perot's absence will have little impact on campaign strategies in Utah. Most candidates hadn't factored Perot into their local campaigns, Hanson explained.
Perot's decision was not altogether unexpected, but the timing was a surprise, Hanson said. "I don't think we expected it quite this fast, but we had started to see the downward slide of his effort."
State GOP chairman Bruce Hough said he wasn't surprised with Perot's decision, given the billionaire's distaste for operating in an environment where he lacks total control.
"Clearly, it is the right decision," Hough said. "The two-party system works better. We have an excellent candidate on the Republican side who can clearly be distinguished from the Democratic candidate."
Calling Perot the "ultimate political blind date," Hough said the development will help put the political scene back into focus. "It takes the wild card out of the equation."
As for Perot followers who wanted "another choice," Hough said they will return to the Bush camp once they reassess his domestic and foreign policy accomplishments.
Hanson also said Perot deserves some credit for making the right decision now "rather than spending more money and continuing to go down and then dropping out."
Most of the 33 members of the Utah's delegation at the National Democratic Convention in New York were sightseeing and unavailable for comment when Perot made his announcement. However, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Pat Shea heard the news before he left the delegation's midtown hotel.
"I think it is too bad, because his candidacy would have made the presidential race much more robust," Shea said.
He did not think a two-way race would be fatal to Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton's campaign. "People are looking for substance. They are going to find it in Clinton and Gore," Shea said.