ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 17, 1996 TAG: 9607170043
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
Perot, Lamm to duke it out in Va. arena
DALLAS - Ross Perot and Richard Lamm go head-to-head at two state Reform Party conventions this weekend, their first appearances together as opponents for the party's presidential nomination.
Despite his bigger name and bigger bucks, Perot dismissed predictions by some political pundits that he would easily stamp out the former Colorado governor in a contest to lead the party he created, built and financed.
Perot, appearing Tuesday on PBS's ``Newshour with Jim Lehrer,'' called such speculation ``conventional inside-the-Beltway wisdom, which is a total disconnect from the real world.''
Perot said he had no plans to debate Lamm at their upcoming joint convention appearances, but he didn't dismiss the possibility for the future. ``If that's a good idea, we'll consider it,'' he said.
Lamm and Perot will both be appearing on Saturday in Augusta, Maine, and Charlottesville, Va., mostly to encourage party members to send in their nominating surveys by a Saturday deadline, party officials said.
A state party convention organizer said a debate is being considered since the two will be at the events at the same time, although the speaking format hasn't yet been decided.
Lamm has said he is interested in debating Perot, although he acknowledges that the two share most views on reforming and trimming government and ``there is not much to debate about.''
Reform Party supporters are nominating their candidate through a write-in survey sent to about 1 million members. Candidates garnering about 10 percent of survey respondents will be placed on the nominating ballot.
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Short : 40 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB