In 1992, Ross Perot cut into the traditionally solid GOP vote in DuPage County.
But the party faithful at the 42nd annual DuPage Republican Day outing contended late Thursday afternoon that Perot would have little impact this year.
“I think people have kind of lost interest in him,” said Joe Mathy, Downers Grove Township GOP chairman.
Just how much interest has waned in Perot’s presidential aspirations remains to be seen, but suburban Republicans are hoping that Perot’s candidacy will do far less harm to GOP candidate Bob Dole than it did to former President George Bush when Bush made his unsuccessful run for re-election four years ago.
In DuPage, Bush’s vote fell from 70 percent in 1988 to 48 percent in 1992, with Perot picking up 21 percent of the vote in the county.
Thursday’s outing drew nearly 3,000 Republicans.