Nader’s Oregon backers fail him

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ralph Nader should have had no trouble getting on the Oregon presidential ballot, given the support he’s had in the state.

Most political observers had expected Mr. Nader to easily draw enough supporters at a Monday evening petition-signing rally intended to make Oregon the first state to qualify him for the 2004 ballot.

But only 741 persons showed up — far short of the 1,000 required by Oregon law.

“Even the best basketball player doesn’t get a slam-dunk every time,” Mr. Nader told his supporters.

Still, Mr. Nader said he would not abandon his quest to qualify for the Oregon ballot, but will try another option available under Oregon law — collecting 15,000 signatures over a three-month period, rather than 1,000 signatures at a single gathering.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be on the ballot in Oregon,” the longtime consumer activist declared.

In the past, Mr. Nader has been able to draw large crowds in Oregon. A year after the 2000 presidential race, for example, he attracted a paying audience of 7,000 at an event.

Mr. Nader said that having to compete with Monday night’s NCAA basketball championship game likely contributed to the low turnout at his event.

“The ball game, it had to be the ball game,” Mr. Nader muttered as he climbed a stairway leading to the stage.

But the low turnout may reflect concern among progressives and liberals that Mr. Nader’s candidacy could help get President Bush get re-elected by draining away votes from Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

“There are times you make principled choices, heart choices,” said Jay Ward, conservation director for the Oregon Natural Resources Council, who voted for Mr. Nader in the presidential elections in 1996 and 2000. “It’s time to be rational. This time the stakes are just too high to vote for Ralph Nader.”

Mr. Ward spoke earlier Monday at a Portland news conference called by former Nader backers who said they were throwing their support to Mr. Kerry.

Also on Monday, former Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean urged Oregon’s voters to ignore the independent’s presidential bid and stick with Mr. Kerry.

“The only way to send President Bush back to Crawford, Texas, is to vote for John Kerry because, unfortunately, a vote for Ralph Nader is the same as a vote for George Bush,” Mr. Dean said.

In announcing his 2004 bid for the presidency, Mr. Nader drew the wrath of many Democrats who blame the consumer advocate for costing Al Gore the election in 2000. They cite the vote Mr. Nader captured in close contests in New Hampshire and Florida and argue that if either state had gone to Mr. Gore, he would have won.

In Washington, Mr. Kerry told reporters that he will reach out to Nader backers with the hope of securing their support.

“I respect him. I’m not going to attack him in any way,” Mr. Kerry said of Mr. Nader.

In 2000, Mr. Nader got 5 percent of the Oregon vote in which Mr. Gore edged Mr. Bush by 6,765 votes to win the state’s seven electoral votes.