Bloomberg meets with ballot expert

[GaryC 7]

AUSTIN, Texas - While still insisting he is not running for president, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg signaled his seriousness about a possible independent campaign by meeting with the ballot access expert and campaign manager for H. Ross Perot's third-party presidential bid.

Bloomberg's latest trip outside New York — one of a growing number he has taken while building his national profile in recent months — was to continue Saturday in California where he planned to appear in Los Angeles with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bloomberg met privately Friday with Clay Mulford, who is well-versed in third-party ballot access and served as campaign manager for Perot, according to an individual close to the mayor. The Texas businessman sought the presidency in 1992 and 1996.

The meeting with Mulford came less than two months before Bloomberg would be able to start gathering signatures to get on the ballot and meet Texas' early deadline.

If Bloomberg wants a chance at winning the state's large slice of electoral votes — 34 — he would need to collect about 74,100 signatures by May 12, and he could not begin circulating petitions in Texas until March 5. Not only does he have a short window to petition — the signatures need to be from Texas residents who did not vote in a party primary.

During a news conference, Bloomberg was asked about the significance of being in Texas, with its early ballot deadline. He seemed irritated with the question, having denied being in the race only a moment earlier.

"I just said I'm not a candidate — it couldn't be clearer," he said. "Which of the words do you not understand? People have urged me to do it, but I'm not a candidate."

Despite his public denials, Bloomberg has been consulting with people such as Mulford and is conducting an analysis of voter data in all 50 states to better understand his chances as a third-party candidate. Aides have said he would delay a decision until after the major parties produce clear front-runners.

Making a move in Texas is not easy. Ballot access is notoriously difficult in the state, according to independent political strategist Dean Barkley, who managed entertainer and writer Kinky Friedman's independent gubernatorial campaign here in 2006.

"Texas is your biggest problem, and it starts on March 5, so if he's going to do it, he's going to have to start fairly soon organizing the effort," Barkley said.

Mulford, formerly a partner with the law firm Jones Day, was general counsel and campaign manager for Perot's 1992 bid. In 1996, Mulford was general counsel to the Reform Party and Perot's campaign.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg appeared at an Austin hospital to talk health care with Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist. Armstrong is an emerging political power in Texas, and any hint that he's supporting Bloomberg would lend credence to the mayor's prospective campaign and signature-gathering efforts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080119/ap_on_...r/bloomberg2008