ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 15, 1996 TAG: 9610150124
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
It's official: Ross Perot will come to Blacksburg in two weeks for one in a series of last-minute rallies to reinvigorate his debate-less presidential campaign.
Perot has added to his schedule eight rallies and two speeches at colleges around the country and in cities in Ohio, New York and Florida where the Reform Party has support. His political schedule is still bare-bones compared with those of his major-party rivals.
Perot will visit Virginia Tech on Oct. 28, campaign and university officials said Monday. He is expected to take part in a leadership program with members of Tech's Corps of Cadets, then make a midafternoon public appearance at the 3,000-seat Burruss Hall auditorium.
A detailed schedule is not complete; nor has the question of how Tech would find afternoon parking places for Perot-watchers on an already packed campus been answered, said Dave Nutter, a university spokesman.
News of the visit to Tech first broke last week. But the appearance, at first scheduled for Oct. 29, wasn't definitely announced by the Perot campaign until Monday. This will be a rare event in Blacksburg. Nutter said he could remember a 1988 visit by Democratic vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen, and a 1976 visit by President Ford's running mate, Bob Dole, but no other recent stops by a major national candidate in the New River Valley college town.
Campaign coordinator Russ Verney said when Perot's appearances are combined with those by running mate Pat Choate, ``we'll be able to cover a good portion of the country before this is over.'' He said the appearances were designed to reach ``voters who are likely to get out and get motivated but otherwise wouldn't be likely to go to the polls.''
Perot, who is languishing in the single digits in opinion polls, has done most of his campaigning from TV studios since he accepted the Reform Party nomination Aug. 18. He has appeared publicly about once a week and held just one rally.
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB