Who was Ross Perot and what ideas and impact did he have on the 1992 election?

Perot announced that he would run for president if supporters would file petitions for him to be on the ballot in all 50 states. He earned widespread poularity quickly. He reached out to both Democrats and Republicans. Polls in May and June showed Perot leading both Clinton and Bush, but in July, with Clinton's support increasing, Perot unexpectedly dropped from the race. In September however, Perot returned and seledcted former admiral James Stockdale as his vice presidential running mate. Although his support began low, he sent $65 million of his own money of his own money and with his opposition to the "North American Free Trade Agreement" (supported by both Clinton and Bush), his focus on eliminating the country's budget deficit and national debt, and his nontraditional campaign, in which he focused on 30-minute infomercial-style advertisements and appeared on the stump to deliver speeches only rarely, saw his support increase as election day got closer.