Run, Ross, Run

BRAVING A SWELTERING SPRING SUN, 2,000 ROSS Perot zealots lugged 90 cardboard boxes stuffed with signed petitions up the lawn to the Texas Capitol last week in an effort to put the billionaire on the state's presidential ballot. This well-scripted media spectacle, festooned with flapping flags, balloons and bunting, marked the unofficial unannouncement of the uncandidate. In only nine weeks, Perot, who has qualified for four other state ballots, collected more than 200,000 signatures in Texas -- four times what he needed -- and that's a chilling omen for Bush and Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. "Let's redouble our efforts," urged Perot, "to do for the kids what our parents did for us."

As an airplane trailing a perot for president banner buzzed overhead, a frenzied crowd, some wearing ROSS FOR BOSS T shirts, cheered the diminutive man who they believe can clean up the mess in Washington. "Change means starting over, not just remodeling the house," declared Austin housewife Alida Anton. Many Americans agree with her that it may be time to hire a new contractor: a TIME/cnn poll showed Perot at 33%, Bush at 28% and Clinton at 24%. (See cover stories beginning on page 26.)