Much to the dismay of Democratic officials, corporate watchdog Ralph Nader announced on NBC's \Meet the Press"" Sunday he would run for president as an independent in the 2004 election.
""After careful thought and my desire to retire our supremely selected president, I've decided to run as an independent candidate for president,"" Nader said.
Nader is widely believed to have tipped the 2000 election in favor of President Bush and he had been encouraged to stay out of this race by Democrats and advocacy groups alike.
""We can't afford to have Ralph Nader in the race,"" Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe told CNN Friday. ""This is about the future of our country. If you care about the environment, if you care about job growth, you've got to support the Democratic nominee. So I'm urging everybody to talk to Ralph Nader.""
This advice was heeded by groups such as Ralph, Don't Run!, whose Web site, http://www.ralphdontrun.net, claims if only 1 percent of Nader's 2000 Florida vote had gone to Democratic contender Al Gore, Bush would have lost.
A defiant Nader rejected calls not to run and denied claims he ""stole"" the 2000 election.
Though Nader's campaign media representative was unavailable Sunday, a statement on Nader's Web site said ""America does not belong to two parties."" In fact, he distinguished himself from Democrats by saying that party had succumbed to corporate interests.
UW-Madison political science professor Virginia Sapiro said Nader has no competitive edge because voters and organizations are not interested in his campaign.
""I'm not quite sure what he thinks he's doing,"" she said. ""[He's running] because of his arrogance. He probably thinks he's giving people a choice that doesn't exist.""
Nader must first get his name on the ballot in as many states as possible. According to the Wisconsin State Elections Board, an independent presidential candidate must submit nomination papers with at least 2,000 supporters' signatures to the State Elections board by Sept. 7.
Even if Nader is on the ballot in November, UW-Madison College Democrats Chair Ryan Grady said Nader will not gain as much support as he did in 2000.
""People saw what happened in 2000,"" he said. ""Those that think the Democratic party isn't as progressive as it used to be will be willing to compromise to beat the conservative force that is George Bush.\
