Ross Perot asked once again to be included in the presidential debates as his running mate Pat Choate likened the Gore-Kemp vice presidential debate to a "bidding war."
In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Perot campaign coordinator Russ Verney argued Wednesday that Republican Bob Dole also should be excluded from the remaining faceoff because of his low poll numbers. The commission excluded Perot after determining he did not have a realistic chance of being elected."Clearly, the American electorate - the ultimate decision makers in this process - have decided Bob Dole does not belong in your presidential debates, according to your own `objective' criteria. Perot/Choate '96 therefore petitions you to exclude Bob Dole from further debates sponsored by the commission," Verney said in his letter.
Choate said he was "disappointed" of not being allowed in the debate and said the match was more like a "bidding war" of Republican Jack Kemp's tax cuts vs. Vice President Al Gore's tax credits to solve the nation's problems.
Choate appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" Wednesday night. Perot appeared on the show after the first presidential debate Sunday in Hartford, Conn.
"We should have been in there," Choate said. "The American people have paid for our campaign. The American people have earned the right to hear what we have to say."
More than 100 Perot supporters, angered by Choate's exclusion from the forum, tried to stage a debate of their own in a protest area outside the theater where Gore and Kemp debated.
Verney added in his letter that Perot should be invited to the last presidential debate to be held Oct. 16. The campaign also suggested viewership of the debates would be greater if Perot was included.
Nielsen Media Research figures showed the first debate drew a third fewer viewers than in 1992 when Perot participated as an independent candidate.