 By May , Perot was leading presidential polls in both Texas and California . The Bush and Clinton campaigns became concerned about a candidacy , and publicly wondered if Perot could continue to " play by his own rules " . They attempted to downgrade Perot from his " folk hero status " to that of a politician , by highlighting his " alleged character flaws " . Meanwhile , Perot focused on sharpening his political positions as he promised . He hired John P. White , who served as a budget official under President Jimmy Carter , to work on his budget platform . Meanwhile , petition drives in every state reported that they had secured enough signatures to place Perot on the Election Day ballot . Speculation arose in the media that Perot would split the electoral college and force the United States House of Representatives to decide the presidency . Around this time , Hal Riney , who had worked on Ronald Reagan 's 1984 campaign and was known for the " Morning in America " ad , was hired as advertising consultant . When Riney revealed the cost of advertisements during a meeting , Perot reportedly " flipped out " , and asked " Why would I spend that when I could go on the ' Today ' show for free ? " Riney produced several ads during the campaign that never aired . 
