By Ben White

Wednesday, February 23, 2000; Page A08

The volatile mix that is the Reform Party continues to bubble over. Some party leaders, including national secretary Jim Mangia, have begun a campaign to draft party founder Ross Perot as an alternative to Patrick J. Buchanan, the only major figure seeking the Reform nomination.

Others are reaching out to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), in hopes of either getting him on the ballot as the Reform nominee or supporting him should he be the Republican nominee this fall.

The McCain campaign acknowledged last week that the head of its Texas effort met recently with the leader of the Texas Reform Party to see about getting McCain on the Reform Party ballot in Texas. The story was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

McCain spokesman Dan Schnur said that "by definition" McCain should appeal to Reform Party voters concerned about campaign finance reform and the influence of special interests in Washington. Schnur said, however, that McCain would not seek the Reform nomination and would not consider leaving the Republican Party should he lose to Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the primaries.

But, if the Reform Party were to pick McCain, he would accept and run as the nominee of both parties. Does that mean he would be entitled to the federal funds earmarked for each party's nominee? Not likely, according to the Federal Election Commission.

"You can't pick one item from column A, and one item from column B" when it comes to taking federal funds, one FEC official said.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Lynchburg, Va., has ordered ousted party chairman Jack Gargan, an ally of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, to give the court control of $2.5 million in FEC funds until arguments about who controls the party and its money can be resolved.

Libertarian, Nader Presidential Contestants

Donald Trump may be gone. The Republican field may have dwindled to three candidates. But voters desperately seeking an alternative to the remaining major party presidential hopefuls gained two new options this week.

Libertarian Harry Browne announced he would mount a second straight presidential bid and consumer activist Ralph Nader, a three-time candidate, announced he would begin another campaign under the Green Party banner.

Browne, who received just 1 percent of the vote in 1996, said he hopes to garner at least 5 percent this time with his message of radically shrinking government, ending the war on drugs and eliminating the income tax.

"In a nutshell, I want you to be free," Browne said in an interview. "I want the government to stick to the Constitution. If it does, we can get rid of the income tax and be free of it without substituting a flat tax or a national sales tax."

Browne says he will raise and spend about $9 million on his campaign.

Nader ran as a write-in candidate in 1992. Best known as a passionate advocate of consumer rights, Nader won just 684,902 votes nationwide in 1996, but picked up 2 percent of the vote in California, a pivotal state in the general election where Nader could peel some liberal support away from the eventual Democratic nominee.

Rep. Porter Endorses a Successor

After initially indicating he would try to stay out of the race to succeed him, retiring Rep. John Edward Porter (R-Ill.) has endorsed his former chief of staff, Mark Kirk, in the 10th Congressional District's crowded GOP primary.

Porter said he has "become increasingly concerned that a candidate who would be unelectable in the fall could win the primary with a very small percentage of the vote." Kirk, a moderate who supports abortion rights, faces 10 opponents, including antiabortion businessman John Cox.

"Some criticize his background as too Washington-oriented," Porter said. "I'm sorry--what better way to prepare to represent us in Washington, than to know personally how Congress and the executive branch work and to have direct experience in addressing many of the issues facing our country?"

Staff writer Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.