ELECTION NEWS

 

February 23, 2004

 

Ralph Nader is Running for President

 

Activist Ralph Nader joins the Presidential race as an Independent candidate

 

Activist Ralph Nader is running for President again. Before the two-time Presidential candidate announced he would run, Democrats across the country already had a message for Nader: "Ralph, don’t run!"

 

Many Democrats blame Nader for helping President George W. Bush win the 2000 election and they worry that history will repeat itself.

 

What's the History Behind the 2000 Election?

 

Four years ago, Bush beat then Vice-President Al Gore in the closest election in history. Many blame Gore’s loss in the tight race on Nader, then a Green Party candidate running for President. They say Nader earned votes that might have gone to Gore had Nader not been in the race.

 

In the end, the outcome of the 2000 election was decided by Florida, where President Bush beat Gore by just 537 votes. Nader got 97,000 votes in Florida and if just a fraction of those voters had voted for Gore instead, Gore would now be President. Terry McAuliffe, the head of the Democratic National Committee, called Nader's decision to run again "unfortunate."

 

What Does Nader's Candidacy Mean?

 

Nader announced his candidacy on the NBC news program, Meet the Press on Sunday. He said he wants to run to challenge the current two-party system and will focus his campaign on issues such as health care, poverty and the environment. Nader, a consumer advocate, also ran for President in 1996 and 2000.

 

Nader, who turns 70 this week, said he’s running to challenge the Democrats and Republicans because, "It's a question between both parties flunking. One with a D-, the Republicans, one with a D+, the Democrats, and it's time to change the equation and bring millions of American people into the political arena." Nader also said that either of the two leading Democratic candidates, Senator John Kerry or Senator John Edwards, would be a better President than President Bush.

 

A Steep Climb

 

Experts say that Nader will have a tough time getting on ballots in all 50 states and Nader agrees. He compared getting the 700,000 signatures he needs to get on state ballots to "climbing a cliff with a slippery rope." Getting on the ballot may be difficult, but Nader is confident that he can raise more than the $8 million he raised in the 2000 election.

 

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/news/story/0,6260,593867,00.html