did the base love Perot prior to him dropping 92 race?
The key point is that Perot was leading both Clinton and Bush in the polls prior to dropping out. That changed after he dropped out and re-entered.
As I said, it's a highly imperfect analogy. But I fear that voters could be turned off by her voluntary failure to complete the term for which she was elected. Could make her look wishy washy and flighty, which is how Perot came off.
What "base?" Perot's base was the cast of the bar scene in Star Wars.