 Perot 's performance satisfied the 5 % popular vote threshold for third party candidates , classifying it as successful under the criterion established by scholar Walter Dean Burnham . The legitimacy of this success has been questioned by scholars who dismiss the label of Perot as a typical third party candidate , largely due to the availability of campaign funds and financing of grassroots efforts . Others dispute these claims and point out that Perot forced the other candidates to change their rhetoric on the issues to gain the votes of his supporters , indicating an issues campaign . Exit polls revealed that 35 % of voters would have voted for Perot if they believed he could win . Contemporary analysis reveals that Perot could have won the election if the polls prior to the election had shown the candidate with a larger share , preventing the wasted vote mindset . 
